Background
The Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak in West Africa from 2013 to 2016 and the multiple outbreaks in Democratic Republic of the Congo during 2018 have highlighted the need for a sensitive and rapid EBOV diagnostic test. Ideally, an EBOV Rapid test allows for point-of-care (POC) screening of patients and offers reliable sensitivity to support earlier diagnosis. Identifying EBOV patients at clinical sites early in the course of disease enables healthcare workers to reduce transmission by isolating infected patients and is essential for halting spread of the disease.
Description
Our researchers have developed an antigen detection assay for early point-of-care diagnosis of Zaire ebolavirus. This enables earlier diagnosis of EBOV in clinical settings and provides healthcare workers with a vital tool for reducing the spread of disease during an outbreak. Our prototype lateral flow immunoassays were produced using selected highly reactive monoclonal antibodies. Our LFI’s were then evaluated for sensitivity with live Zaire EBOV culture supernatant and sera collected from EBOV infected nonhuman primates. All testing with live EBOV was done in parallel with a commercially available rapid EBOV test for comparison. These results are shown in the publication attached.
Advantages
- Our LFI is affordable, easy to distribute, and does not require refrigeration.
- Our method can be performed at the POC and provides results in less than twenty minutes.
- Our diagnostic prototype can enable earlier diagnosis of EBOV in clinical settings and provide healthcare workers with a vital tool for reducing the spread of disease during an outbreak.
- We have novel antibody available for licensing.
Publications
UNR19-016
