Quidel Corporation announced today that it will serve as sponsor for the upcoming Distinguished Speaker Series being conducted by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. Quidel is a California-based diagnostic health care manufacturer known for successfully developing rapid diagnostic health solutions, including the industry-leading Sofia^® 2 Lyme FIA test for Lyme disease.

The Distinguished Speaker Series are free community events that provide new information on various Lyme-related topics. Speakers typically feature an esteemed scientific researcher paired with a Lyme survivor sharing their inspirational story in an open-discussion format. The events are designed to create a more informed, connected and inspired public, which, in turn, will lead to stronger families, schools, businesses and communities.

“We share the Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s mission to make Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure,” said Judi Tilghman, Ph.D., vice president of technology assessment at Quidel. “Over the years the Foundation has collaborated with world-class scientists and institutions to accelerate medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease and to build a more informed and engaged public. We are honored to sponsor this important speakers series in support of those efforts.”

On Nov. 3, the series will feature a researcher, physician and Lyme patient advocate who will discuss how the immune system “can protect or attack” when it comes to Lyme disease. The discussion will focus on the importance of using a broad and comprehensive diagnostic and treatment approach to Lyme disease. Speakers include Liz Horn, Ph.D., MBI, principal investigator, Lyme Disease Biobank, and principal, LHC Biosolutions; Victoria Blaho, Ph.D., assistant professor, Sanford Burnham Prebys, Immunity and Pathogenesis Program; and David N. Haney, Ph.D., researcher and family caregiver.

The Nov. 3 event will be held from 4-7 p.m. in the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in San Diego. Reservations are required and can be made at SpeakerSeries@bayarealyme.org or by calling 650-530-2684. Full vaccination is required for this venue.

Lyme disease is on the rise to record numbers throughout the country and has the potential to affect as many as 476,000 citizens before the year is out. Leading the way in Lyme disease testing is the innovative Sofia^® 2 Lyme FIA by Quidel. This revolutionary test provides the patient and physician with indicative results within 15 minutes, as opposed to days, which has historically been the norm (and during which time organisms can spread and become systemic). It can be performed in the privacy of a doctor’s office, local clinic or even by a nurse at a children’s summer camp; and it is the only test that can get results from a simple finger prick of blood.

About Quidel Corporation

Quidel Corporation (Nasdaq: QDEL) is a leading manufacturer of diagnostic solutions at the point of care, delivering a continuum of rapid testing technologies that further improve the quality of health care throughout the globe. An innovator for over 40 years in the medical device industry, Quidel pioneered the first point-of-care test for influenza in 1999 and was the first to market a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in the U.S. Under trusted brand names, Sofia^®, Solana^®, Lyra^®, Triage^® and QuickVue^®, Quidel’s comprehensive product portfolio includes tests for a wide range of infectious diseases, cardiac and autoimmune biomarkers, as well as a host of products to detect COVID-19. Quidel’s mission is to provide patients with immediate and frequent access to highly accurate, affordable testing for the good of our families, our communities and the world. For more information about Quidel, visit quidel.com.

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