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The molecular imaging technique of positron emission tomography (PET) is an increasingly important tool in biomedical research and in drug discovery and development. Many small molecule drugs and potential PET radiotracers carry trifluoromethyl (CF₃) groups. Because CF₃ groups are generally considered to be metabolically stable, there is a strong interest in developing drugs with these groups.

Lyssaviruses are single-stranded RNA viruses that cause rabies and rabies-like diseases in mammals. According to the World Health Organization, human rabies caused by the classical rabies virus continues to be almost 100% fatal once clinical symptoms of rabies appear, with no specific treatment available anywhere in the world.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia and is also a frequent cause of bloodstream, brain and spinal cord, ear, and sinus infections. According to 2015 CDC data, an estimated 900,000 Americans get pneumococcal pneumonia each year and approximately 5-7% die from it annually. Accurate diagnosis and early treatment are important for improving patient outcomes.

The simultaneous concentration and recovery of microbes in drinking water is important for responding to potential water-related events such as pathogen contamination or bioterrorism and could be a cost-effective technique for routine monitoring of drinking water quality. Scientists at the CDC have combined two techniques, ultrafiltration (UF) and insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) in series, to achieve significant concentration of microbes and pathogens for analysis.

This technology is directed towards a potential treatment for a new disease, CHAPLE (Complement Hyperactivation, Angiopathic thrombosis, and Protein-Losing Enteropathy), identified by NIAID researchers. CHAPLE is associated with GI symptoms and vascular thrombosis and is caused by loss-of-function variants in the gene encoding the complement regulatory protein CD55. The disease is caused by enhanced activation of the complement pathway and complement-mediated induction of intestinal lymphangiectasia and protein-losing enteropathy.

A retrovirus can be any of a group of RNA viruses (i.e., HIV) that insert a DNA copy of their genome into the host cell in order to replicate. Retroviruses can cause persistent and often lifelong infections.

A major challenge to sequencing eukaryotic parasites present in clinical samples is the abundance of ‘contaminating’ human DNA in samples. CDC has developed a method to reduce host DNA from biological samples prior to sequencing of the 18s gene, a universal gene which allows scientists to detect any parasitic organism by one DNA test.

CDC researchers have engineered West Nile/dengue virus (WN/DENV) chimeras utilizing the replicative ability of the West Nile (WN) virus but presenting the immunogenic pre-membrane and envelope surface proteins of each of the four dengue virus serotypes (DENV 1-4). When coupled with a fluorescent reporter gene, each chimera is able to generate live chimeric reporter WN/DENV (R-WN/DENV) expressing the fluorescent protein in infected cells. These chimeric reporter viruses (CRVs) are used to develop faster and less hands-on high throughput neutralization assays for DENV.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that remains a global health threat. Syphilis rates in the United States have also been increasing. Left untreated, syphilis infection can span decades and have serious complications including blindness, dementia and paralysis. Syphilis in pregnancy causes prematurity, low birthweight, neonatal death, and infections in newborns. Improvements in syphilis detection are needed to facilitate early diagnosis of active infections and monitor treatment with antibiotics.

Syphilis is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium, Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum). If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious complications including blindness, paralysis and dementia.