Novel Inactivated Zika Vaccine Candidate Based on Purified Wild-type Zika Virus — for Zika Vaccine and Diagnostic Assay Development

Zika virus (ZIKV) spreads to people primarily through bite by infected Aedes mosquitoes. ZIKV infection during pregnancy can cause stillbirths or affect the fetus by causing serious birth defects, such as microcephaly and other brain defects. Although uncommon, adults with ZIKV can also develop Guillain-Barre syndrome and other neurological disorders. According to the World Health Organization’s July 2019 report, a total of 87 countries and territories have had evidence of mosquito-borne transmission of ZIKV.

Multiplexing Homocysteine in Primary Newborn Screening Assays Using Maleimides as Select Derivatization Agents

Homocystinuria (HCU), a group of inherited disorders, causes symptoms ranging from failure to thrive and developmental delays in infants or young children to abnormal blood clots with onset in adults.1 Approximately 1 in 200,000 to 335,000 people have HCU globally.2

A Diagnostic Kit for Assessing Exposure or Infection by the Koala Family of Retroviruses

This invention relates to a diagnostic kit for assessing exposure to or infection by a koala retrovirus. The kit consists of specific primers and probes for the detection of three distinct subtypes of infectious koala retrovirus and may be useful in various species, including humans, primates, and koalas.

Novel Antiviral—Griffithsin Derived from Algae—for Prophylaxis or Treatment of Rabies Infection

Rabies virus (RABV) infection leads to fatal encephalitis—inflammation of the brain—if left untreated. Millions of people survive RABV infection each year due to timely administration of post-exposure treatment, however, nearly 60,000 people die from rabies each year according to the World Health Organization. Obstacles to timely treatment for RABV infection include the high cost and burdensome storage requirements (i.e., refrigeration) of current post-exposure treatments (i.e., rabies immunoglobulin (RIG)).

On-Demand HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis

According to World Health Organization statistics, 1.7 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2019. Daily PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) with the combination of emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir (TAF) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is highly effective in preventing HIV infection. However, many people can find it challenging to adhere to a daily pill schedule and thus, may not fully benefit from PrEP.

Hybridomas to Human Immunoglobulins for SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostics and Additional Indications

Immunoglobulins play a key role in the immune system. CDC has developed and tested hybridoma cell lines (monoclonal antibody (mAb) clones) for human IgG and other immunoglobulins. The mAbs generated from those hybridomas could be used as a reagent (second Ab) of anti-human immunoglobins in a diagnostic assay for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the virus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) and other assays that detect antigen specific antibodies from human sera.

Diagnostic Assay to Detect Group C Rotavirus in Humans and Animals—Monoclonal Antibody-based ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay)

Rotaviruses cause severe gastroenteritis in humans and animals globally. Currently, there are eight known serogroups (A-H) of rotaviruses. Group C rotavirus (GpC RV) causes sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute diarrhea in children and adults worldwide. GpC RV is also associated with diarrhea in swine. Currently, no simple and reliable diagnostic test exists for GpC RV, so disease prevalence remains unknown.

Monoclonal Antibodies for Detection of Rabies Virus Antigen and Confirmatory Rabies Diagnosis

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rabies causes greater than 59,000 deaths every year in over 150 countries as of 2017. A rapid and reliable diagnostic test for rabies is critical for prophylaxis considerations in humans bitten by animals as well as for basic surveillance and animal rabies control programs. The World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) and WHO Expert Committee on Rabies recently approved the direct rapid immunohistochemical test (DRIT) for rabies diagnostics.

Monoclonal Antibody that Detects a Subclass of Dog IgG—for Diagnostic and Research Applications

CDC and collaborating researchers have developed a new monoclonal antibody that recognizes canine IgG (likely IgG4 subclass). This anti-dog IgG reagent could be used to detect antibody reactions to a variety of antigens and has potential use in a wide variety of diagnostic or research applications.