DIAGNOSTICS: An Instant AIDS Test

For many people, the AIDS epidemic is a grim waiting game: they wait for the fateful diagnosis, wait for help, wait for a cure. Now at least part of the delay may be cut short. Cambridge BioScience of Worcester, Mass., announced last week that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market a blood test that will indicate in five minutes whether a person is infected with the AIDS virus, vs. several hours for the standard laboratory measure. The BioScience product, which will not be sold to consumers, is expected to help time-pressed doctors and nurses in emergency rooms or on transplant teams.