Infectious Diseases Laboratory

Who We Are

The Infectious Diseases Laboratory (IDL) has over 30 years of experience in performing diagnostic molecular testing for the detection of sexually transmitted disease pathogens. This includes a long-standing partnership with a local health department to provide testing for their sexually transmitted infection (STI) control efforts. In addition, the IDL is a designated service core laboratory for the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI). With over 40 years of experience in the field of clinical research, the IDL is highly skilled in performing studies that include the evaluation of new technologies for the diagnosis of infectious disease pathogens, the development of novel assays to meet the needs of individual research collaborators and tailoring our services to successfully meet study objectives. We currently provide support to numerous investigators with federal and locally funded research grants and clinical research studies with our industry sponsors. We have been continuously certified by CLIA and accredited by CAP to perform clinical testing since the inception of the laboratory back in 1985.

Our Core Competency

Elements that make us uniquely positioned for success.

Have met stringent quality standards and personnel requirements to maintain accreditation and licensure for routine clinical diagnostic testing.
Expertise and experience in executing both large- and small-scale studies with a proven record of meeting study objectives and timelines.
Use the most advanced technology to perform testing for sexually transmitted and respiratory disease pathogens and many bloodborne viral pathogens.
Ability to develop and implement new assays to meet individual study goals and needs.
Proficient in the evaluation and validation of new instrumentation, assays, and collection methodologies.

Our Technology

We strive to maintain cutting edge technologies.

Operate the latest automated clinical analyzers from major diagnostic manufacturers for molecular testing
State of the art robotic platforms for large scale sample preparation and nucleic acid extractions

cap and ctsi logos

Available Testing

We offer high quality customized clinical testing and research services based on customers’ needs.

FDA Approved Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT)	Sample Type Accepted
Chlamydia trachomatis	Endocervical Swab or Cytology, Pharyngeal, Rectal, Urine, Vaginal
Neisseria gonorrhoeae	Endocervical Swab or Cytology, Pharyngeal, Rectal, Urine, Vaginal
Trichomonas vaginalis	Endocervical Swab or Cytology, Vaginal, Urine
Mycoplasma genitalium	Endocervical Swab, Penile Meatal, Urine, Vaginal
Human Papillomavirus (with genotyping)	Endocervical Cytology or self-collected vaginal swabs used for HPV DNA -based primary screening
Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2	Anogenital Lesions
Respiratory Panel (SARS CoV-2, FLU, RSV)	Anterior Nasal, Nasopharyngeal or Oropharyngeal

Specialized Testing — Laboratory Developed Tests or Culture Isolation for Research Applications	Sample Type Accepted
Chlamydia trachomatis culture	Contact laboratory director for additional information on sample types and assay availability
Neisseria gonorrhoeae culture
Trichomonas vaginalis culture
Mycoplasma genitalium resistance testing (Fluoroquinolones and Macrolides)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistance testing (Beta-lactams, Fluoroquinolones and Macrolides)
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) for the detection of Sars CoV2 Antibodies
Large Scale Nucleic Acid Extraction utilizing standardized reagents and automation

Additional Services

Consultation-Assay Development and Implementation
Logistical Support and Study Management
Workflow and Specimen Management, Shipping

Our Recent Success

Submitted a patent with the US Patent Office for a molecular assay which will detect a urethrotropic strain of Neisseria meningitidis (US-20220081707-A1).
Transitioned laboratory operations to support SARS-CoV-2 testing initiatives for both the Marion County Public Health Department and Indiana University Mitigation Testing during the pandemic with over 190,000 tests performed.
Provided comparator testing for an industry sponsored study which led to the FDA approval of a novel at home collection device for cervical cancer screening (May 2025).