Development of a highly sensitive and specific POCT testing asthma triggering allergic IgE

Summary of Administrative Supplement The overall goal of the parent project is to develop and eventually commercialize a novel point-of-care test capable of rapidly and highly accurately detecting allergic IgE to environmental allergens as an approach to promote healthy living and reduce minority health disparities. This administrative supplement application is intended to enhance the diversity of the research and entrepreneurial workforce by supporting a candidate, Christian Lapitan, to establish a standardized procedure to ensure the consistent product quality of the reverse lateral flow immunoassay (R-LFIA) rapid test device. The research project of this administrative supplement for the candidate is to express, purify, characterize, and employ the recombinant allergens derived from bacteria (E. coli) to replace the crude allergen extracts as an allergen source for preparation of allergen-gold nanoparticle conjugates to achieve consistent and accurate test results with R-LFIA. Enhancement of research and entrepreneurial capability for the candidate is another major purpose of this diversity supplement. To do so, the applicant company Allerdia has developed a mentoring plan; a plan for mentor-candidate interactions; and a plan for business and entrepreneurship enhancement.