Research Terms
Researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) have developed a multiplex immuno-PCR (iPCR) based diagnostic test which improves upon currently available approaches for Lyme disease detection. Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi) and is transmitted to humans and animals through the bite of infected ticks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended protocol for diagnosing Lyme disease involves testing blood sera using a subjective two-tiered system which often leads to misdiagnoses. The method also lacks sensitivity in the early stages of the infection. UCF's approach combines the sensitivity of PCR with the specificity and the versatility of immunoassays in a simplified and objective diagnostic test.
Technical Details
The UCF invention uses specialized magnetic beads that complex with antibodies produced by individuals infected with B. burgdorferi. Additionally, the test makes use of specialized oligonucleotide reporters that are amplified by qPCR if antibodies from infected individuals are detected. The qPCR step offers a more objective readout of B. burgdorferi infection than the immune-blot analysis commonly used in Lyme disease testing. Compared with the current assays for Lyme disease diagnosis, the diagnostic test developed at UCF enables earlier and objective detection of infection (in mouse models) and a more simplified single-tiered approach for diagnosis (in serum samples from Lyme disease patients).
Stage of Development
Assay developed and tested with patient serum samples.
Partnering opportunity
The research team is looking for partners to further develop the technology for therapeutic use and commercialization.
Enhanced detection of host response antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi using immuno-PCR, Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 2013 Mar;20(3):350-7
Simple objective detection of human lyme disease infection using immuno-PCR and a single recombinant hybrid antigen, Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 2014 Aug;21(8):1094-105
The University of Central Florida invention is a biomaterial platform that provides engineered human or animal skin-like constructs for studying the biting or blood-feeding behaviors of arthropods, such as mosquitoes and spiders. Many mosquito species are important vectors of parasitic diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and Zika. Yet, due to a lack of pertinent assay systems, their biting/blood-feeding behavior and those of other medically relevant arthropods, such as ticks, need to be better understood. For example, little is known about their preferred human skin condition, the selection of landing site and biting site on human skin, the number of feeding attempts, and the quantity consumed during feedings. As a result, scientists often sacrifice their skin, allowing the insects to bite them in laboratory settings and manually recording the score of experimental outcomes. Such methods have limitations, including the number and type of experiments and the inability to use infected mosquitoes.
Called biologic interfacial tissue-engineered systems (BITES), the UCF technology resolves such issues, enabling 3D model skin tissue made from an alginate gel that scientists can fill with solutions that arthropods feed on, such as blood, serum and sugar. The tissues can be cellularized with human or animal cells or used alone for studying arthropod biting and blood-feeding. In addition, the BITES model can be used to test the effectiveness of various substances like repellents or insecticides.
Technical Details
The UCF invention (BITES) comprises an arthropod bite model and methods for making the model. BITES is a platform of multiple microtubular capillaries made from a gel or alginate gel. The capillaries can be of different sizes, ranging between 10 µm and 300 µm, and can be cellularized and filled with a cell culture medium, serum or body fluid such as blood.
One embodiment is Capgel for BITES, a platform for studying the behavior of mosquitoes. Capgel for BITES is a scaffold of densely packed parallel micro-capillary structures which enable robust cell seeding, growth, and colonization, including micro-vascularization under laboratory cell culture conditions. Experimental results showed that when Capgel for BITES capillaries are cellularized with cultured human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and loaded with human red blood cells, the structures attracted more mosquitoes than blood-loaded non-cellularized Capgels. Thus, the scaffold can imitate the human skin condition.
Other cell types (human or animal) can also be used, such as mesenchymal stem cells, keratinocytes, immune cells, and umbilical vein endothelial cells. Examples of immune cells include macrophages, either tissue-resident or derived from infiltration of monocytes, or dendritic cells.
Partnering Opportunity
The research team is seeking partners for licensing, research collaboration, or both.
Stage of Development
Prototype available.