Aptamers to Detect Fungi in Formalin-Fixed Sections

Development of novel antifungal drugs is spurring interest in the detection of pathogenic fungi in archival formalin-fixed tissues. While in situ hybridization and PCR-based methods for fungal detection in tissues exist. formaldehyde adducts on fungal DNA complicate or invalidate such detection methods. Operational Technologies Corporation (OpTech) has been developing DNA aptamers against a broad array of small molecule, protein and whole cell {bacterial and parasite) targets for the last decade. Much of OpTech's aptamer R & D work is published, patented, and the best (highest affinity and most specific) resultant DNA aptamers are sold on its website: www.OTCBiotech.com which has been profitable since inception in late 2012. In 2010-2011, OpTech developed and published DNA aptamers capable of specifically detecting and binding the N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) monomer of the chitin polymer in fungalcell walls for NASA under an SBIR contract to aid in protecting the recycled water supply aboard the InternationalSpace Station. OpTech now proposes to develop and characterize aptamers capable of specifically binding and detecting formalin-fixed Blastomyces, Histoplasma, Fusarium, and Scedosporium as well as the Mucormycetes (Mucor, Rhizopus, Absidia, and Cunninghamella) fungi at the genus level and species level in parffin-embedded tissue sections by fluorescence and/or peroxidase staining.