You are here
Handheld Aptamer-Magnetic Bead-Quantum Dot Sensor for Leishmania
Title: Senior Scientist
Phone: (210) 731-0015
Email: john.bruno@otcorp.com
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Phone: (210) 731-0000
Email: bhenders@otcorp.com
Operational Technologies (OpTech) has developed a rapid (15 minute) ultrasensitive one-step plastic-adherent DNA aptamer-magnetic bead (MB) plus aptamer-quantum dot (QD) sandwich assay for Campylobacter detection (J. Fluorescence 19:427-435, 2009) that is quantified with a commercially available handheld and battery-operated fluorometer. This highly portable and facile system has a validated limit of detection of < 10 cfu/ml for C. jejuni and works with push-button ease under rugged field conditions. OpTech also has previous published (J. Clinical Ligand Assay 30:37-43, 2007) experience with aptamer development against several species of Leishmania. Therefore, OpTech proposes extension of its patent-pending one-step plastic cuvette-adherent aptamer-MB-aptamer-QD sandwich assays for sensitive detection of cutaneous L. major and visceral L. infantum in patients or promastigotes in homogenized pools of sand flies using its commercially available handheld, battery-operated fluorometer. At the end of Phase I, OpTech will deliver 100 lyophilized prototype L. major and L. infantum assays to the Army for testing and evaluation. In Phase II, OpTech will optimize assay performance with respect to specificity, sensitivity and shelf life. OpTech will optimize shelf life to > 2 years at 35oC by increasing the level of trehalose or other excipients and innovative vacuum or air-tight packaging of the lyophilized assays.
* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *