Serochip for the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases

Unmet Need: Simple, rapid diagnostic assay for tick-borne disease

Current methods to diagnose tick-borne diseases (TBDs) consist of multi-step, labor-intensive laboratory methods that measure protein concentrations in serologic samples. However, these approaches are limited in accuracy and sensitivity, often leading to false positives and failing to diagnose early-stage tick-borne illnesses.

The Technology: Multiplex, array-based serologic assay for rapid diagnosis of TBDs

This technology, termed TBD-Serochip, is a programmable peptide microarray platform that can detect antigenic targets from prominent agents of tick-born diseases (TBDs) in a rapid and accurate manner. An array of up to 172,000 target peptides generates a comprehensive antigenic profile from the most prominent TBD agents. As such, this technology has the potential to streamline the diagnosis of TBDs through early detection of exposure to and/or infection by tick-borne pathogens.

This technology has been validated with human serum samples.

Applications:

Serological detection of exposure to tick-borne pathogens
Serological detection of infection by tick-borne pathogens
Detection of tick-borne pathogens in subjects previously diagnosed with tick-borne diseases (TBDs)

Advantages:

High-throughput platform for TBD diagnosis
Rapid, single-step serologic assay
Customizable
Cost-effective
Accurate and early detection of TBDs

Lead Inventor:

W. Ian Lipkin, M.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending (US20200255889)

Related Publications:

Tokarz R, Mishra N, Tagliafierro T, Sameroff S, Caciula A, Chauhan L, Patel J, Sullivan E, Gucwa A, Fallon B, Golightly M, Molins C, Schriefer M, Marques A, Briese T, Lipkin WI. “A multiplex serologic platform for diagnosis of tick-borne diseases.” Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 16; 8(1): p. 3158.

Tech Ventures Reference:

IR CU17323
Licensing Contact: Kristin Neuman