We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
ZeptoMetrix an Antylia scientific company

Download Mobile App




New Rapid Diagnostic Test to Tackle Fatal Sleeping Sickness

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 27 Jan 2016
Using an innovative approach, scientists have developed a simple serodiagnostic method, similar to a dipstick pregnancy test, to fight human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. More...
The new test requires only a pin-prick blood sample and will remove the need to take complex equipment into remote areas.

Although millions are at risk of contracting HAT, some at-risk areas remain uncovered by surveillance and control efforts. Existing tests for T. b. gambiense rely on samples extracted directly from this dangerous parasite. A research team, led by Dr Barrie Rooney and Prof. Mark Smales of the University of Kent (Kent, UK), has designed a safer, easier, faster (about half the time of traditional methods), and less costly method for preparing samples. Also, fewer people will be needed to administer the test.

This next-generation test is based on genetic engineering to express selected T.b. gambiense recombinant antigens in a safe, easy-to-grow strain of the non-human parasite Leishmania tarentolae.

The work is part of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)’s Flexible Interchange Program (FLIP) in a project with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF; Geneva, Switzerland). Dr Rooney said: “I have been involved with MSF mobile HAT screening teams in central African countries for over 10 years. Traditional testing involves a large team in remote areas doing time-consuming microscopic work, and painful lumbar punctures. For this you need electricity and refrigeration. By combining the latest genome databases and old fashioned fermentation techniques we have come up with a fast, simple way of making robust and reliable tests. The new tests are designed to be heat-stable and user-friendly, like a dipstick pregnancy test. It will be a major improvement for screening and treatment of this deadly disease and speed us on the way to ‘the elimination of sleeping sickness as a public health hazard’ which is a World Health Organization target.”

Prof. Melanie Welham, executive director, BBSRC, Science, said, “This is a brilliant example of exactly what the FLIP scheme is all about. FLIP funding allowed Dr Rooney to work with the University of Kent and MSF to design and develop this test in just 14 months. The promise and potential impact of this new diagnostic is obvious and I wish Dr Rooney success in the forthcoming work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). FLIP brings scientists into different environments where they can learn new skills and exploit their existing expertise in new collaborations, enhancing the impact of bioscience research.”

In July, Dr Rooney traveled to DRC to identify areas where field trials of the new test could be carried out, alongside an MSF HAT mobile team. The method also has potential to be developed for diagnosis of other tropical diseases, such as Chagas disease (T. cruzi) and visceral leishmaniasis.

The study, by Rooney B et al., was published December, 2015, in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Related Links:

University of Kent
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 
Medecins Sans Frontieres



Gold Member
Flocked Fiber Swabs
Puritan® Patented HydraFlock®
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Luteinizing Hormone Assay
DRG LH-Serum ELISA Kit
New
Silver Member
H-FABP Assay
Heart-Type Fatty Acid-Binding Protein Assay
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The GlycoLocate platform uses multi-omics and advanced computational biology algorithms to diagnose early-stage cancers (Photo courtesy of AOA Dx)

AI-Powered Blood Test Accurately Detects Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, largely due to late-stage diagnoses. Although over 90% of women exhibit symptoms in Stage I, only 20% are diagnosed in... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: AI-analyzed images from the FDM microscope show platelet clumps in motion (Photo courtesy of Hirose et al CC-BY-ND)

AI Microscope Spots Deadly Blood Clots Before They Strike

Platelets are small blood cells that act as emergency responders in the body, rushing to areas of injury to help stop bleeding by forming clots. However, sometimes platelets can overreact, leading to complications.... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The new algorithms can help predict which patients have undiagnosed cancer (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Advanced Predictive Algorithms Identify Patients Having Undiagnosed Cancer

Two newly developed advanced predictive algorithms leverage a person’s health conditions and basic blood test results to accurately predict the likelihood of having an undiagnosed cancer, including ch... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.