4. Capture and Enrichment of Emerging Pathogens for Multiple and Ultra-Sensitive diagnostic (USDEP)

Funding code: LSHB-CT-2006-037560

The project funded by the European Union aims at the development of highly sensitive molecular diagnostic methods for fast multiplex detection of pathogenic germs in clinical samples. The focus is on agents that are currently without adequate or sufficiently sensitive diagnostics. Core element is sample preparation as wall as a PCR-based diagnostic. http://www.usdep.eu

Project partners:
Robert Koch-Institut
ImmunoClin Ltd
ApoH-Technologies
Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Fraunhofer Institut für Siliziumtechnologie
AJ eBiochip
SKULDTECH
GenExpress GmbH

Also in the 21st century infectious diseases are still one of the main causes of death worldwide. The key to successful control and combating of current and future epidemics is fast, sensitive and reliable diagnostics of known and unknown pathogenic agents.
It was possible to identify the human protein apolipoprotein H (ApoH) as protein interacting with many different agents (viruses, bacteria and parasites). It may serve as a suitable candi-date for the development of a new enrichment technology.
The USDEP project succeeded in developing protocols on the basis of an ApoH-coated matrix to enrich various viral (dengue virus, hepatitis C virus, hanta virus, rotavirus and others), bacterial and parasitic agents from complex clinical material and to detect them via various PCR procedures. It was also possible to clearly increase sensitivity in comparison to existing standard procedures.
It fell to GenExpress to develop quantitative real-time multiplex PCR assays for the validation of the established protocols as well as the development of multiplex PCR systems for the DNA microarray prototypes in close cooperation with AJ eBiochip and SkuldTech. These were novel chip-based detection procedures for "point of care" diagnostics.

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