Provista Life Sciences & Sonora Quest Laboratories Team Up On The BT Test(TM), A New Blood Test For Breast Cancer

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 05 Mar 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Provista Life Sciences LLC and Sonora Quest Laboratories announced a collaborative effort that will allow doctors and patients seeking to obtain Provista Life Science's BT Test™ for breast cancer access to several strategically located Sonora Quest Laboratories phlebotomy service facilities throughout Arizona.

Provista Life Sciences, a Phoenix-based diagnostic development and commercialization company, recently announced the availability of its Biomarker Translation Test (BT Test), a blood test specifically designed to assist physicians and other healthcare providers in making an earlier and more accurate diagnosis of breast cancer when used in conjunction with mammography.

"We are thoroughly impressed with the management and staff at Sonora Quest Laboratories and their willingness to assist and support our efforts to make our BT Test more readily accessible to the public," says William J. Gartner, CEO and President of Provista Life Sciences. "Until now, doctors prescribing the test and patients wishing to take the BT Test were limited to our central Phoenix laboratory, Provista Diagnostics, for their blood draws. With Sonora Quest's support, we can now make the BT Test more readily accessible to women across all of Arizona."

Patients wanting the BT Test will need to obtain a prescription from their provider. With a prescription in hand, patients will be directed to Provista Diagnostics' Web site (http://www.ProvistaDx.com) for instruction on how to complete the ordering process, pay for the test and download a blood Draw Authorization Form. The Draw Authorization Form will direct the patients to an approved Sonora Quest Laboratories or Provista Diagnostics blood draw center. Patients who prefer not to go online, or who do not have Internet access, can go directly to Provista Diagnostics' laboratory to complete this process and have their blood drawn.

"We are extremely pleased to assist Provista Life Sciences in their efforts to make the BT Test more accessible to the women in Arizona," stated Joyce Santis, Chief Operating Officer for Sonora Quest Laboratories. "We recognize the importance of making public access as easy as possible in this regard, and we are glad we can play a role in making that happen."

About Sonora Quest Laboratories

Sonora Quest Laboratories is an integrated laboratory system servicing over 6,000 clients throughout Arizona, including hospitals, physicians, managed care organizations and employers. They have more than 2,000 employees statewide, and perform over 60,000 diagnostic tests per day. For more information, please visit http://www.sonoraquest.com.

Provista Life Sciences' Background

Provista Life Sciences was established in 2006 as a biotechnology development and commercialization organization that provides the scientific and operating management resources to rapidly advance the development and introduction of novel diagnostics technologies into the domestic and global marketplace. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.provistals.com.