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Abstract

Abstract: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Verax Biomedical Inc. proposes to develop a rapid, accurate, cost-effective screening test to detect a broad array of bacterial contaminants in stored human platelets. The risk of bacterial contamination is approximately 1 per 2,000 donations, which makes it the single greatest infectious risk in transfusion medicine today. Currently, no inexpensive or rapid broad detection test is available commercially. Verax has assembled a panel of antibodies and other binding agents that selectively bind conserved structures on the surface of either Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria. These reagents demonstrate cross-genera and cross-species binding affinities for bacteria that are known to infect human platelets and are readily adaptable for use in immunoassays. In this Phase I project, Verax will verify the feasibility of a rapid, sensitive immunoassay in a format that is practical for routine platelet screening in hospital transfusion services and blood centers. This will lead to a Phase II proposal to commercially develop and validate the assay for regulatory submission. The successful development of Verax's Bacterial Class Detection technology will help improve the availability and safety of the human blood supply, and will have broad potential applications for bacterial detection for patient diagnostic use, food testing, environmental testing and research applications. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: NOT AVAILABLE

Thesaurus Terms:
antibacterial antibody, blood bank /supply contamination, communicable disease diagnosis, diagnosis design /evaluation, immunologic assay /test, platelet, serology /serodiagnosis
bacterial antigen, diagnosis quality /standard

Institution:	VERAX BIOMEDICAL, INC.
	3-E GILL ST
	WOBURN, MA 01801
Fiscal Year:	2002
Department:
Project Start:	21-JAN-2002
Project End:	20-JUL-2002
ICD:	NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE
IRG:	ZRG1