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MRT Laboratories, Inc.

50 Johnson Ave.
Hackensack, NJ 07601
201-342-5400
800-631-1379
FAX 201-342-1123
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In Vitro Tests

...In Vitro tests are proven techniques that provide a significant advance in allergy testing.

A Medical Breakthrough

By now, you're probably suspicious of any "breakthrough." And you don't get excited by "miracle drugs," let alone "miracle cures." And you're absolutely right, because the popular press has overdone the use of these trite phrases.

But In Vitro testing for inhalant allergies deserves special mention, because - amidst all the exaggeration, half-trust, and premature speculation of the media when they report on medical matters - In Vitro tests are proven techniques that provide a significant advance in allergy testing.

The term "In Vitro" refers to test procedures performed "outside the body," as in a laboratory, as apposed to "In Vivo" procedures performed in or on the body directly, as accomplished when allergy skin tests are performed.

A new, improved test - In Vitro Test

Soon after the IgE antibody was discovered, researchers began to work on a new kind of test, generally referred to as In Vitro. Today, after years of clinical testing, the In Vitro Test is used to help doctors identify the cause of your allergy.

An In Vitro Test is a laboratory procedure which utilizes a test tube, rather than a needle stick reaction, as in skin tests.

A small part of your blood sample is mixed with different allergens and observed for a chemical reaction. The laboratory's equipment and computers analyze the reaction and measure the amount of IgE for each allergen. Results are grouped into classes from zero (negative) to five (high positive). Your doctor will discuss the importance of these results with you.

What to Expect

If your doctor recommends you to have one of these In Vitro test procedures, from your point of view, the test is extremely simple.

First, he will ask you to fill out a "patient history" form, which lists all the major diseases and discomforts you have suffered or are now enduring. He will go over this form in great detail, asking you questions to clarify every important point, so that he knows the most likely allergies troubling you and requiring testing. (The In Vitro procedure can test for any number of inhalants, but there is no point tying up the laboratory with unnecessary tests) Where you live and work, and your home environment (pets, trees, flowers, etc.), are all important elements in your history, giving your doctor a complete picture of your situation.

Second, your doctor will thoroughly examine you, paying particular attention to the condition of your nasal passages and throat.

Third, a sample of your blood will be drawn.

The laboratory returns a report with a unit of measurement indicating the strength of your allergy to substances tested.

When he or she has the test results, your doctor will call you back into his office (anywhere from a few days to a week or so) and explain the results to you. He will recommend a program for dealing with your allergies. This may include changing your environment (such as getting rid of offending substances around your home), taking some form of medicine or perhaps taking allergy injections. The program will be tailored to your exact needs, based on your In Vitro results.

If immunotherapy is the treatment of choice, testing for additional relevant allergens may be indicated. Your physician will inform the lab. It is usually not necessary to draw another blood sample. Patient serum samples are frozen and retained at MRT Labs for 3-4 months.

*Source reprinted from:

More information...

Why test for allergy? Click Here
Why use blood tests? Click Here
Tell me about In Vitro Tests
Newsletter: "Advantages of In Vitro Testing"
Learn more about Our Services
To view a sample Allergy Testing Results report, Click Here