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Delivering personalized medicine one patient at a time
TimeLine
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Hunter News and Articles
Use the timeline below to scroll through our annual news, stories, information and current events. More News > |
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2011
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GENTRY HEALTH & BEAUTY ADVISOR
The HunterHeart® panel uses the most advanced technology available to assess the risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia. All it takes is a simple blood test. Most people have one or several abnormalities, which can lead to these serious disorders. Many are not detected by the standard cholesterol tests. Customized treatment guidelines, based on your lab results and developed by some of the nation's top doctors and researchers, will help you and your physician monitor improvement.
Talk to your physician about HunterHeart® Cardiovascular Screening.
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If Heart Disease is Preventable, Why is it the #1 Killer?
GERALD A. WEISS, M.D., F.C.A.P. HUNTER LABORATORIES
Heart disease can be prevented in almost all people if it's detected early. Why then, will almost 1 million Americans die of heart disease this year? And why does heart disease kill more people than all cancers combined, and why is stroke the leading cause of disability in the United States?
The answers are simple.
• People are unfamiliar with the risks they carry.
• People have relied upon a 40-year-old cholesterol-screening tool that is less accurate than a coin-flip in predicting risk of heart attack and stroke. • People do not get tested early enough. |
2010
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Allentown, PA and Campbell, CA, May 25, 2010 - Health Network Laboratories (HNL) Enters into License Agreement with Hunter Laboratories to Provide HunterHeart Cardiovascular Disease Management Program.
 HunterHeart offers physicians and patients sophisticated risk characterization and personalized therapy guidelines for cardiovascular disease. HNL will be performing a battery of advanced tests, offering an accompanying nutrition program, and wellness coaching. Gerry Weiss, MD, Hunter's Medical Director stated: "With appropriate risk characterization and treatment, cardiovascular disease can be prevented for many patients and MI and stroke events can be significantly reduced."
READ MORE > |
Campbell, CA, February 19, 2010 - Hunter Laboratories Presents Clinical Study on New HPV RNA Test that Improves Specificity and Can Be Used Effectively in Women Less Than 30 years Old
 On Saturday at Eurogin 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Dede Pierry from Hunter Laboratories presented data on over 3000 women describing the improved performance of Hunter's HPV E6, E7 mRNA test over currently available HPV tests. In particular, Hunter's test demonstrated increased specificity for pre-cervical cancer and ...
READ MORE > |
Campbell, CA, January 13, 2010 - Hunter Intern Selected as Intel Science Talent Search Semi-Finalist
 Vishesh Jain, an intern at Hunter Labs in the summer of 2009 has been selected as a semi-finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), which is America's most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. Since 1942, the Society for Science & the Public (SSP) has provided a national stage for America's best and brightest young scientists to present original research to nationally recognized professional scientists.
READ MORE > |
2009
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Campbell, Ca., February 1, 2009 - Hunter Labs announces Robert Freeman, MD elected President of California Society of Pathologists.
 Hunter Laboratories, Inc. announced today that one of its Medical Directors, Robert Freedman, has been elected President of the California Society of Pathologists for a period of two years. S. Robert Freedman, M.D., received his MD from Jefferson Medical College. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois, and a residency in Anatomic Pathology, Laboratory Medicine and Nuclear Medicine at Mt. Zion Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Freedman has served as the Laboratory Director at both Regional Medical Center in San Jose and Community Hospital in Los Gatos. Since 1998 Dr. Freedman has served as a member of the California Society of Pathologists Board of Directors. He has also served as President of the South Bay Pathology Society, VP for Professional Conduct of the Santa Clara County Medical Association, CMA House of Delegates, Clinical Laboratory Technical Advisory Committee (CLTAC) for the State of California, and is an Inspector for Laboratory Accreditation for the College of American Pathologists Accreditation Program. He is board certified in Clinical and Anatomic Pathology. |
Campbell, Ca., January 17, 2009 - Hunter Labs Introduces new HPV mRNA OncoTest
 HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases and is the chief cause of cervical cancer, which annually affects approximately 500,000 women worldwide. Hunter Laboratories is excited to offer a new tool that will aid diagnosis and management of HPV and cervical cancer. HPV OncoTest is a screen for cervical cancer, which identifies the oncogenic activity of HPV in infected cervical cells by measuring HPV mRNA E6-E7.
The HPV OncoTest detects lesions earlier than Pap tests because molecular changes occur well before morphological changes. Current HPV DNA methods do not detect cancer progression, only the risk of progression to cancer. Even with the most carcinogenic of all genotypes (Type 16) there is only a 4.4% chance that the patient will develop cervical cancer. This clinical "false positive" rate leads to unnecessary follow-up procedures and patient anxiety. The presence of high levels of HPV E6, E7 mRNA in individual cells indicates that these cells are undergoing to molecular changes of cellular transformation that are the early stages of cervical cancer development. The HPV OncoTest will increase the positive predictive value of cervical screening from 15-25% to 90% with equivalent sensitivity and negative predictive value. Because the HPV OncoTest does not require batching, the turn around time is only one day. |
2008
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Campbell, Ca., August 6, 2008 - Hunter Labs enters into Biological Processing Agreement with Sequenom, Inc.
 Hunter Laboratories, Inc., announced today that it has entered into an Agreement with Sequenom (San Diego, CA) to assist Sequenom in developing a new maternal blood marker to better identify pregnancies that have a child with a chromosome abnormality such as Down syndrome. Such a successful test may reduce the need for invasive procedures such as amniocenteses and CVS. Hunter will collect and process specimens from local medical practices in accordance with Sequenom's methodologies. The specimens will then be sent to Sequenom for clinical testing. Hunter's CEO, Chris Riedel, commented that Hunter Labs was selected by Sequenom because of the company's sophistication in handling samples for DNA and RNA testing. READ MORE > |
Campbell, Ca., February 18, 2008 - New Test Available to Identify Those at Risk for Heart Attack and Stroke
 The PLAC® Test is the only FDA approved blood test that aids in uncovering hidden heart attack and stroke risk. CVD kills more people in the U.S. than do all cancers combined. Stroke alone is twice the killer of American women than is breast cancer. Early detection and aggressive treatment can reduce cardiovascular events. Still, 50% of cardiovascular events strike in patients with normal lipid levels. The traditional lipid panel identifies at best 50% of those at risk. Recent studies show the LDL to be an unreliable predictor of stroke. Similar studies report the PLAC Test uses a cardiovascular risk marker that provides new information, over and above traditional risk factors. The majority of cardiac events are caused by plaque rupture and subsequent thrombosis, not stenosis. The PLAC Test provides physicians with new information that dramatically improves their ability to identify patients at risk. READ MORE > |
2007
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Campbell, Ca., November 17, 2007 - Improved Detection for Colorectal Cancer Screening
 Hunter Laboratories, Inc. is now offering the Clearview Ultra Fecal Occult Blood Test and improving the way colorectal carcinoma screening is performed.
Colorectal carcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Early detection is critical as patient prognosis is inversely related to tumor stage.
Tests for fecal hemoglobin and colonoscopy are the primary means of screening for colorectal carcinoma.
Until recently the standard fecal hemoglobin tests, guiac-based, were limited in their sensitivity, specificity and contained complicated patient instructions that lead to problems with compliance.
The Clearview test is convenient and has significantly reduced the traditional long testing method to three simple steps while eliminating the patient preparation obstacles.
Ease of collection and lack of dietary restrictions leads to improved compliance (40% for immunoassay versus 25% for guiac tests).
Greater sensitivity and specificity also contribute significantly to improved colon cancer detection.
Test Order Code - 5450 Fecal Occult Blood |
Campbell, Ca., January 29, 2007 - Hunter Labs Introduces FocalPoint™ Cytology for the Detection of Cervical Cancer Hunter Laboratories, Inc., announced today that it's introducing the BD SurePath™ FocalPoint Cytology system for cervical cancer screening.
 The SurePath FocalPoint imaging system technology improves cervical cancer screening performance and efficiency. SurePath is the only Pap test with an FDA-approved claim of a 64.4% increase in HSIL+ detection. When SurePath pap slides are coupled with the FocalPoint imaging system there's an even greater reduction in false negatives. The system utilizes the simplest and most proficient collection device on the market. SurePath also has the lowest rate for unsatisfactory specimens that require another sample for processing. READ MORE > |
Campbell, Ca., January 1, 2007 - Hunter Labs Announces New Medical Directors
Hunter Laboratories, Inc., announced today that they have welcomed five outstanding pathologists that will serve as the medical directors for the company. Gerald A. Weiss, M.D., S. Robert Freedman, M.D., Sudha Rao, M.D., Jyothsna Narla, M.D., and Edward Ellsworth, M.D. are all board certified pathologists in Clinical and Anatomic Pathology and have extensive hospital and outpatient experience in the San Jose area. Dr. Weiss and Dr. Freedman are members of the California Society of Pathologists (CSP) Board of Directors. Dr. Freedman also serves as Vice President for CSP. Three of the new medical directors are Inspectors for Laboratory Accreditation for the College of American Pathologists Accreditation Program. |
2006
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Campbell, Ca., November 20, 2006 - Hunter Labs' New HPV Test Offers Advantages Over Other Laboratories
Hunter Laboratories, Inc.'s new Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing methodology offers advantages over all other laboratories in Northern California. Hunter's methodology is the Invader® Molecular HPV assay from Third Wave Technologies. Studies in several major medical centers have demonstrated that it reduces the occurrences of false negatives, detects mixed infections with multiple HPV types and increases specificity. The Invader assay reduces the occurrence of false negatives by monitoring DNA extraction and sample adequacy by inclusion of an internal control. The control evaluates the quantity of cellular DNA content using the human alpha-actin gene. Mixed infections with multiple HPV types are easily detected by the Invader assay by using a unmatched three probe pools. READ MORE > |
Campbell, Ca., May 15, 2006 - Hunter Labs Introduces Rapid EMR Interface Capability Hunter Laboratories, Inc., announced today that they have developed the capability to interface with virtually any EMR system within 2 - 4 weeks.
 "Even if the EMR vendor will not communicate with Hunter, we can complete the interface within 30 days," said Chris Riedel, CEO of Hunter Labs.
Over the last several years more and more physician offices have implemented Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems and are going paperless. Patients benefit from immediate availability of their lab results, which are delivered electronically to the physician office as soon as they are completed. READ MORE > |
Campbell, Ca., February 14, 2006 - Testing for Type Specific Herpes Simplex
 Hunter Laboratories, Inc. now offers HerpeSelect®, an FDA approved test that can detect type-specific antibodies to both Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV) I and II.
The signs and symptoms associated between the two types of HSV vary greatly. Patient consultation and prognosis of recurrent genital outbreaks, viral shedding, antibody persistence and neonatal transmission between HSV-I and HSV-II diagnosis differ. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend physicians to perform type-specific glycoprotein testing for HSV-I and HSV-II. READ MORE > |
2005
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Campbell, Ca., August 26, 2005 - Cystic Fibrosis Testing - Critical for Prenatal Screening Hunter Laboratories, Inc. now offers Cystic Fibrosis (CF) DNA testing. CF is a common genetic disorder caused by autosomal recessive mutations in the CFTR gene.
Patients with CF have a defective CFTR protein that cannot perform its cell membrane transport function, resulting in thick, sticky mucus that clogs internal organs. This affects the function of the lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, and reproductive system, which leads to organ damage. DNA testing for mutations in the CFTR gene has a critical role in prenatal screening. Most importantly, it can be used to identify at-risk couples that are carriers of the abnormal genes. The incidence of the carrier state is highest in non-Jewish Caucasians of European Ancestry and Ashkenazi Jews, being present in approximately 1 in 30 individuals in these populations. Widespread screening has been recommended by the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Medical Genetics. |
According to published guidelines, carrier screening for cystic fibrosis should be offered to all couples that are expecting a child or planning a pregnancy. The accuracy of prenatal screening is greatest when both parents are tested. Test Order Code 5555 Cystic Fibrosis DNA |