A Richmond firm has made the Guinness World Records for being part of an eight-hour HIV testing clinic in Britain.
The HIV tests were done using the INSTI (TM) Rapid HIV Antibody Test, which was created and produced by Richmond-based bioLytical Laboratories Inc.
Chris Shackleton, executive director of bioLytical, said Sunday that 745 HIV tests were done in the eight hours at a British pub called 56 Dean Street. The challenge was done on World AIDS day Saturday and had the endorsement of British Prime Minister David Cameron.
"People need to know that, diagnosed early, the outlook for most people with HIV in the U.K. today is a good one," wrote Cameron. "Above all, people need to know that it has never been quicker or simpler to get tested."
Shackleton said there has been a tremendous amount of work done by bioLytical to develop an HIV test that can be done in a minute.
The INSTI HIV Antibody Test took seven years to develop and cost the firm about $24 million.
"There is no other test kit on the market that can give a result that fast," Shackleton said.
With standard HIV tests, a sample is taken and sent to a lab for analysis and it can sometimes be days before the result is known.
The firm has 25 employees and is working to have the test kits available in cities and rural communities around the world. Despite the international success and the new Guinness record, Shackleton said the firm is still having a tough time selling the product in B.C.
The provincial government recently announced $20 million was being earmarked for AIDS testing around the province. But Shackleton said the firm hasn't yet been asked to supply any product.
"It is hard to understand why it is not being embraced at home," he said. "It is not yet widely available in British Columbia."
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