Finding Human Carriers of Taeniasis to Prevent Neurocysticercois Associated Epilepsy

NeurocycsticercosisNCCis a leading cause of adult onset epilepsy in the developing world and an increasing public health concern in the United StatesNCC develops in individuals infected with tape worm Taenia soliumTsoliumHowevermost people are unaware of their infection before neurological symptoms appearthus posing a major risk of transmitting the infectionReliable diagnosis and efficacious treatment of taeniasis are needed for disease controlCurrently available laboratory tools to screen for Tsolium carriers have been inefficientIn this SBIRwe propose to identify five high affinity aptamers targeting Tsolium adult worm extracts in positive stool samples using a Capture Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential EnrichmentCapture SELEXstrategyAt Aptagenwe have developed proprietary protocols to improve the specificity of Capture SELEX process to identify high affinity aptamers against intended targetsOur research team has extensive experience and expertise in aptamer selection technologies to ensure successful execution and completion of the proposed project goalsSuccessful development of target specific aptamers that differentiate Tsolium positive stool samples from negative samples should lead to the development of a highly sensitive enzyme linked oligonucleotide assayELONAand a reliable quantitative point of care dipsticklateral flowtest for screening of at risk groups