Main Menu

Ebola virus (EBOV) hemorrhagic fever is one of the most lethal viral infections and lacks a licensed vaccine. EBOV is transmitted by contact with body fluids from infected individuals including droplets or aerosols. Aerosolized EBOV could also be exploited for intentional virus spread. Therefore, vaccines that protect against mucosal and systemic exposure are needed.

According to 2010-2014 World Health Organization (WHO) research, dog-transmitted human rabies was present or suspected in 150 countries and territories worldwide. Domestic dogs were the most common reservoir of the rabies virus in these countries, and more than 99% of human deaths were caused by dog-transmitted rabies. Rabies is 100% preventable in dogs with appropriate administration of vaccines.

Acute respiratory infections during early childhood constitute a major human health burden. Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common and important viral cause of severe acute pediatric respiratory infections worldwide. Mortality due to RSV in the post-neonatal (28 days to 1 year old) population is second only to malaria. It is estimated that RSV causes 34 million lower respiratory tract infections, 4 million hospitalizations, and 66,000-199,000 deaths every year in children less than 5 years of age.

This technology provides a new set of hybridoma cell lines each expressing a single monoclonal antibody against human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) nonstructural protein 1 (NS1). These antibodies have variously been shown to detect NS1 protein in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot assay, immunofluorescence microscopy of paraformaldehyde-fixed cells, and flow cytometry. The various antibodies can vary in their efficiency in each of these assays.

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.

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.

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other severe birth defects. The CDC Zika MAC-ELISA (IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) currently used for diagnosis detects antibodies produced to fight a Zika virus infection. However, reactivity of flavivirus antibodies (from exposure to other mosquito-borne infections such as dengue or West Nile virus) can complicate the interpretation of these results.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and World Health Organization (WHO) approved the antiretroviral drug emtricitabine (FTC)/ tenofovir disoproxil fumurate (TDF) combination for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in high risk populations. Efficacy of PrEP depends strongly on adherence to taking the FTC/TDF pill daily. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.2 million Americans will benefit from PrEP. FTC is also a key component of antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens of HIV-infected persons and significantly associated with adherence.

Scrub typhus is a bacterial disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi or Ots) that is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). The most common symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes rash. Severe illness can lead to organ failure and bleeding which can be fatal if left untreated. Most cases of scrub typhus occur in Asia Pacific countries, however, recent reports document establishment in the Arabian Peninsula, Chile, and possibly Kenya.