Development of a Multiplexed Antigen Screening Platform for Detecting Evidence of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infections

Tuberculosis (TB) is a re-emerging infectious disease threat worldwide. To protect the health of US military personnel, TB screen is required for military personnel at the time of service entrance. However, current TB screening methods TST and IGRA used in military population have their drawbacks in application such as high false positives and being heavily lab dependent. Here ADA Technologies, Inc. (ADA) proposes multiplexed M. tuberculosis (Mtb) antibody screen method based on a sensitive 3-D biomimetic microarray system. In Phase I effort, preliminary feasibility assessment will be performed based on the selection of multiple Mtb-specific antigens that can form composite biomarkers via statistical analysis to achieve optimal detection sensitivity and specificity. The Phase I results would provide justification and guidance for a continued development effort in Phase II, which will create a high-throughput (HTS) and miniaturized platform for TB screen in military populations.