Diagnostic Hybrids gets Chinese OK for virus test

Ohio University spinoff Diagnostic Hybrids Inc. has received Chinese regulatory approval to sell a respiratory virus testing kit.

The company’s D³ Ultra DFA Respiratory Virus Screening and ID Kit screens and identifies the following viruses: Influenza A, Influenza B, Parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Adenovirus.

The test is capable of returning results from a patient sample as quickly as 15 minutes, according to a statement from San Diego-based Quidel Corp., which acquired Diagnostic Hybrids for $130 million earlier this year.

Quidel CEO Douglas Bryant called Chinese approval of the testing kit “an important milestone in our international expansion strategy.” The Chinese market for respiratory virus testing has the potential to be as large as it is in the U.S., Bryant said — though it’s unclear what the size of that market is.

In addition to respiratory infections, Athens-based Diagnostic Hybrids sells testing kits for herpes, chlamydia and other viral infections and thyroid diseases. Started in 1983 by a group of Ohio University professors, the company was spun out of the university to commercialize sophisticated diagnostic tests used mostly by hospital and reference laboratories.

Quidel develops and makes rapid diagnostic tests for pregnancy, infectious diseases, oncology, bone health and autoimmune disorders that are used at the point of care.

A Quidel official didn’t immediately return a call.