High-throughput assay for detection of Zika exposure

This technology is a high-throughput serological assay to detect Zika virus exposure and infection.

Unmet Need: Method for differential detection of recent and previous Zika virus infection

Zika virus infection is clinically similar to West Nile and Chikungunya viral infections, causing difficulty in differential diagnosis. While molecular assays for the diagnosis of active Zika infection exist, they are unable to report on historical infection, which may continue to influence fetal development in the future. Additionally, cross-reactivity between Zika and dengue viruses confounds current Zika virus immunoassays, requiring expensive cross-validation by plaque reduction neutralization tests. As such, there is a need for an inexpensive, high-throughput method to detect previous exposure to Zika that could influence fetal development.

The Technology: Identification of specific Zika epitopes enables differential detection of Zika exposure

This technology identifies a series of Zika epitopes that enable rapid differential, serological detection of Zika virus exposure and infection. These epitopes were originally identified in patients with historical Zika infection, and together, produce a signature that allows for positive identification of Zika virus even in samples containing multiple other infectious viruses. As such, this technology provides a quick assay for detecting historical Zika infection in patients without requiring expensive cross-validation assays. In addition, the described assay may also be useful in vaccine development and treatment of acute infection.

This technology has been validated using human serum samples from healthy and Zika-exposed patients.

Applications:

• Diagnostic assay for acute and chronic Zika infection
• Research tool for studying Zika infection
• Zika vaccine development
• Antibody development against Zika virus

Advantages:

• One-step assay for differential detection of Zika virus from multiple viruses
• Suitable for detecting both acute and chronic infection
• Minimally-invasive
• Cost-effective
• Can be combined with existing immunodetection methods

Lead Inventor:

W. Ian Lipkin, M.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Status

Related Publications:

• Mishra N, Caciula A, Price A, Thakkar R, Ng J, Chauhan LV, Che X, Espinosa D, Montoya Cruz M, Balmaseda A, Sullivan E, Patel J, Jarman R, Rakeman J, Egan C, Reusken C, Koopmans M, Harris E, Tokarz R, Briese T, Lipkin W. “Diagnosis of Zika Virus Infection by Peptide Array and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay” MBio. 2018 Mar 6; 9(2): e00095.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU17122

• Licensing Contact: Ron Katz