Main Menu

RSV is the most important viral agent of severe respiratory tract disease worldwide, especially in infants and young children, and it also causes severe disease in the elderly and in immunocompromised individuals. There are no licensed vaccines or antivirals suitable for routine use.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes a highly lethal pulmonary infection with ~35% mortality. Currently there are no prophylactic measures or effective therapies. Inventors at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have identified and developed neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nMAbs) against the MERS-CoV. This invention describes antibodies that target the Spike (S) glycoprotein on the coronavirus surface, which mediates viral entry into host cells.

This technology is a set of influenza virus enrichment probes developed to increase the sensitivity of sequence-based, universal detection of all influenza viruses. This universal influenza enrichment probe set contains a unique set of 46,953 biotin-labeled, RNA probes, each 120 base-pairs long, that can be used to enrich for any influenza sequences without prior knowledge of type or subtype.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) bacteria, or pneumococcus, can cause many types of illnesses. These range from ear and sinus infections to life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and meningitis. Pneumococci are surrounded by a polysaccharide capsule, which is thought to help it evade the immune system. Presently, over 90 known serotypes of S. pneumoniae have been identified, of which only a minority produce the majority of pneumococcal infections; a serotype is defined by a unique pneumococcal capsule structure.

Clinical and biological specimens often contain microbial nucleic acid in extremely low quantities, presenting a significant challenge for the detection of viral and bacterial pathogens. This also prevents direct sequencing of non-culturable samples using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Currently, NGS library preparation on most platforms requires 0.1 ng to 10 µg of DNA or cDNA, while microbial or viral nucleic acids in clinically relevant specimens, such as blood, serum, respiratory secretions, cerebral spinal fluid, and stool, often contain less than 0.1 ng.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infects nearly all children by their second birthday. RSV usually causes mild respiratory illness, however, a subset of patients experience severe infection that require hospitalization. Successful host defense against viral pathogens requires rapid recognition of the virus and activation of both innate and adaptive immunity. Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) are responsible for mounting an innate immune response and genetic variations within TLRs modulate severity of infection.

Anthrax, whether resulting from natural or bioterrorist-associated exposure, is a constant threat to human health. Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax. It is surrounded by a polypeptide capsule of poly-gamma-D-glutamic acid (gamma-D-PGA), which is essential for virulence, is poorly immunogenic and has anti-phagocytic properties. Antibodies to the capsule have been shown to enhance phagocytosis and killing of encapsulated bacilli.

Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases of great public concern as humans may either develop disease spontaneously or, more rarely, due to mutations in their prion protein gene or exposures to external sources of infection. Prion disease is caused by the accumulation in the nervous system of abnormal aggregates of prion protein. This technology enables rapid, economical, and ultrasensitive detection of disease-associated forms of prion protein.

The rapid worldwide spread and impact of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has created a need for accurate, reliable, and readily accessible testing on a massive scale.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a novel RNA enveloped coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 when the virus enters human airway cells via an ACE2-mediated entry process. This entry pathway is facilitated by the cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), which enhances viral attachment to the cell surface. Researchers at NIDDK and NCATS have discovered a collection of FDA-approved drugs that can interfere with the entry of SARS-CoV-2. These drugs can be grouped into three classes based on the distinct steps in the viral entry pathway that they target.