First diagnostic test for long COVID is available to patients across Australia

The first diagnostic test for long COVID is now available to patients across Australia. The test can help physicians diagnose long COVID by differentiating it from other diseases with similar symptoms, and to design personalized treatment approaches.

Persistent COVID, or long COVID, is a multiorgan symptomatic complex with symptoms persisting over time. It affects patients who have suffered from acute COVID-19 infection. It is estimated by the US Centers for Disease Control that about 20% – 30% of patients who have suffered from COVID-19 may develop long COVID.

The typical symptoms of long COVID, such as fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, insomnia, and a wide range of cardiovascular issues, are certainly not unique to one condition. A diagnostic test to identify patients with long COVID, using objective measures of immune biomarkers, is an essential first step for treatment.

The simple blood-based test was developed by diagnostic testing company IGeneX using IncellDx’s incellKINE assay. incellKINE is a machine learning-based technology that is able to assess the presence of a distinctive immunologic profile characterized by patterns of cytokine and chemokine biomarkers found to be unique to long COVID patients, as reported in Frontiers in Immunology. The test provides 97% sensitivity. It received CE-IVD marking in Europe in 2022, which indicates that it fulfills the requirements of relevant European product directives and meets all the requirements of the relevant recognized European harmonized performance and safety standards.

Leading provider of private medical laboratory and pathology services, Healius Pathology, was selected to facilitate patient sample collections at 22 collection centers across Australia including:

• Beecroft, NSW
• Roselands, NSW
• Carina, QLD
• Cleveland, QLD
• Arana Hills, QLD
• Mount Gravatt, QLD
• Balaclava, VIC
• Camberwell, VIC
• Surrey Hills, VIC
• Heidelberg, VIC
• Tullamarine, VIC
• Melbourne, VIC
• Point Cook, VIC
• Hobart, TAS
• Launceston, TAS
• Jandakot, WA
• Myaree, WA
• Joondalup, WA
• Midland, WA
• Duncraig, WA

For more information or to register for a test, visit this page.