APTAGEN LLC — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase II: ODCDC

Description

Taenia solium is a parasite acquired by pigs and transmitted to humans by eating or mishandling raw or undercooked infected porkIncidences primarily occur in areas with subsistence farming practices such as sub Saharan AfricaLatin Americaand AsiaIt affectsmillion people globallyCases of cystercercosis have been seen in the US and Canada due to globalizationIngested Taeniasolium oncospheres can migrate through intestinal walls and lead to cyst formations in the body and brainCysts that form in the brain can induce epileptic seizures causing inability to sustain employment and costly medical careCurrent tests for Taenia solium are brain imaging and ELISArefeffective when only one cyst is presentA need exists for a rapid and low cost POC test that can detect Taenia solium with at leastcertaintyIn this studyboth an ELONA and a lateral flow assayLFAwill be developed using aptamer probes to detect Taenia soliumThe target antigen swill be identified using LC MS MSwith fluorescence based assays developed and optimized for an LFA that can be read by handheld devices such as smart phonesThis platform is adaptable to a colorimetric format for visual output in low resource environments