Lyme

Testing

Evolving Tests For Tick-Borne Diseases

Healing Lyme Summit

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rZRSGFaSeKbZ18CXbtZi5gN9CwqBWuox/view?usp=drive_link

<h6>Myriah Hinchey, ND, FMAPS</h6>
Hi, and welcome to another episode of the Healing Lyme Summit. I'm your host, Dr. Myriah Hinchey. Keeping up with advancements in testing for vector-borne diseases is essential, Especially when dealing with the complex and often controversial diagnosis of Lyme disease and its associated co-infections. Limitations in testing when using conventional laboratories can complicate the matter and lead to the misdiagnosis of many of these infections. Given the nature of these infections, which are often nonspecific and intermittent, coupled with a negative test result, this can lead to a lot of misdiagnosis, especially when the practitioner is not Lyme literate. You will hear me repeat time and time that vector-borne disease is a clinical diagnosis. I stand by that. However using special techniques by specialty laboratories helps confirm the presence of Lyme disease and also figure out what other co-infections are present, which can be essential to using the appropriate treatment for the specific infections in that person. 

Here to talk with us today about the evolution of testing for vector-borne disease is Jyotsna Shah, PhD. Dr. Shah is the research and clinical director of IGeneX Laboratory and has been since 2003. She has over 40 years of experience in molecular biology, microbiology, and immunology, and she holds over 20 patents. Dr. Shah has dedicated her career to studying various tests and techniques for detecting parasitic infections as well as other infectious diseases. She is the world expert in the FISH Test, which you're going to hear about. as a way of directly testing samples from patients. Welcome, Dr. Shah. Thank you for your time. Please tell our listeners a little bit more about yourself and your work in developing testing for vector-borne diseases.

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PRESIDENT &amp; LABORATORY DIRECTOR &#8211; Dr. Shah has over 40 years of research experience in immunology, molecular biology and microbiology, and holds more than 20 patents. After receiving her B.Sc. and M.Sc in Biological Sciences from UK and her Ph.D. in diagnostic immunology from Nairobi University in Kenya, Dr. Shah joined International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) as a post-doctoral scientist and started the first DNA sequencing laboratory in E. Africa.
On completion of her fellowship, she went on to join Harvard University’s Department of Tropical Medicine as a research fellow and continued work on development of molecular tools for diagnosis of parasitic diseases. Since then Dr. Shah has worked at several Biotechnology companies focusing on the development of novel molecular technologies for diagnosis of infectious diseases and has become a world expert on use of Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization (FISH) technique for direct detection of pathogens in clinical samples.
Dr. Shah joined IGeneX as the Director of Research and Development in 1997 and in 2003 became Laboratory Director (clinical and research). During her time with IGenex she has introduced the first Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) test for Babesia and also set up the PCR department for tick-borne diseases. Under Dr. Shah’s direction, the laboratory has developed an excellent QA program and her scientific guidance, IGeneX has become the world’s leading reference laboratory for diagnosis of tick-borne diseases.

Jyotsna Shah

Jyotsna Shah, MSc, PhD

Myriah Hinchey, ND, FMAPS, has been at the forefront of Lyme disease treatment for over a decade. As an experienced Lyme Literate Physician, she couples conventional guidelines with unique natural protocols. Her foundation in holistic care integrates a rich educational background. She&#8217;s been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1998, specializing in CORE myofascial release and Reiki. After obtaining her bachelor&#8217;s in psychology from the University of Connecticut, she earned her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from The University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine. Supplementing her qualifications are certifications in Medical Acupuncture, Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC), and a mentorship focusing on neurodevelopmental disorders.

Evolving Tests For Tick-Borne Diseases

Myriah Hinchey, ND, FMAPS

Jyotsna Shah, MSc, PhD

Summary

Content Provided By

Myriah Hinchey, ND, FMAPS

Guest Experts

Jyotsna Shah, MSc, PhD