Rapid Detection of Endemic Fungal Infections in the U.S.

Lectin recognition of fungal cell wall polysaccharides will be used to develop a rapid screening chip technology for the detection endemic fungal infection in blood. Fungal infections are life threatening to immune-compromised and immuno-suppressed patients (i.e. premature and malnourished infants, AIDS and cancer patients. seniors, and organ donation recipients). In addition to routine screening and early detection so that anti-fungal therapy can begin quickly, these patients are also more likely to need blood products during their medical care. Hence. for such patients even trace fungal contaminations can lead to mortality. Given the increasing prevalence of endemic fungal infections (coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis,histoplasmosis) in the US, detecting trace fungal infections in blood is essential. In this project a library of lectin-activated SERS reporter nanoparticles will be produced and tested in SERS (Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering) sandwich assays to screen and identify trace fungal contamination in blood. Such assays have demonstrated femtomolar (< pg/ml) detection of target antigens for diseases such as tuberculosis, dengue. and invasive Aspergillosis in 2-6 hours. Lectins offer highly selective, multivalent binding of target fungal cell wall polysaccharides, tighter sandwich components/larger SERS signals, and shear-dependent binding that can be manipulated to reduce non-specific interactions. and decrease response time.