8 September 2017 - - Madison, New Jersey-based diagnostic information services provider Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) has changed to cholesterol test services that use a novel calculation that improves accuracy of testing for levels of LDL-C, a key marker of risk of cardiovascular disease, the company said.
The method also has the advantage of not requiring the patient to fast from food for several hours prior to a blood draw, enhancing the patient experience.
The development is the result of a license agreement between Quest Diagnostics and the Johns Hopkins University. The calculation is based on a formula from cardiologist Seth Martin, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
It is designed to replace the Friedewald calculation, which has been the standard method used by laboratories for LDL-C analysis in cholesterol testing in the United States since 1972.
LDL-C blood assessment can also aid treatment decisions. National and international guidelines generally refer to a target level of