This technology is a high-throughput serological assay to detect Zika virus exposure and 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.
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.
IR CU17122
Licensing Contact: Ron Katz
