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This Intranasal Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI), developed with Creare, Inc., allows low-cost delivery of powder vaccines. Nasal delivery has numerous advantages compared to traditional injected vaccines, including: 1) safe, needle-less administration by minimally-trained staff or patient; 2) better protection due to mucosal and cross-protection; and 3) decreased biohazard waste.

Intranasal delivery is a simple, inexpensive and needle-free route for administration of vaccines and therapeutics. This intranasal delivery technology, developed with Creare LLC., includes low-cost, disposable drug cartridges (DDCs) that mate with a durable hand-held device. The rechargeable-battery-powered device transmits ultrasonic energy to the DDC to aerosolize the drug and is capable of performing for eight hours at 120 vaccinations per hour. Potential applications for this platform technology include intranasal vaccination (e.g.

This nucleic acid assay employs Light Upon Extension (LUX) chemistry and High Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis to detect and distinguish the different genotypes of Chlamydophila psittaci. C. psittaci is an atypical pathogen which may result in severe pneumonia upon infection of birds, mammals and humans (depending on inter-relationships between host and pathogen genotypes). Presently, C. psittaci clinical identification is achieved by a cumbersome and time-intensive mix of ompA gene sequencing, microarray analysis, RFLP and/or serological testing.

CDC researchers have developed algorithmic methods for determining sigmoid curve optimums and calculating component concentrations. Sigmoid curves are commonly generated in bioassays and used to calculate results. Various techniques have been used to define the curve, analyze the observations, and calculate a concentration. This technology is an algorithmic approach to identifying the usable portion of a sigmoid curve.

This CDC developed invention pertains to Streptococcus pneumoniae protein "pneumococcal fimbrial protein A (PfpA)," as well as the encoding pfpA gene. S. pneumoniae linked pneumococcal disease is prevalent among the very young, the elderly and also immunocompromised individuals. This invention covers the breadth of directly PfpA-related technology that might be employed for development of diagnostic tests for S. pneumoniae and/or vaccines directed against the pathogen.

Disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and developing countries. Pneumococcal disease is prevalent among the very young, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals. This invention is an improved, immunogenic peptide construct consisting of a combination of antigenic epitopes of the PsaA (37-kDa) protein from S. pneumoniae.

CDC researchers have developed a reverse transcription/semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-snPCR) assay for diagnosis of enterovirus infections within clinical specimens. Clinical laboratories currently identify enteroviruses by virus isolation and subsequent virus neutralization tests, or serological assays. In addition to being time consuming, these approaches are labor, cost and material intensive.

CDC researchers have developed a method of simultaneously detecting and distinguishing multiple antigens within a biological sample. Epidemiological and vaccine studies require species serotype identification. Current methods of serotyping are labor intensive and can easily give subjective, errant results. This technology utilizes serotype specific antibodies bound to fluorescent beads, allowing for simultaneous single tube capture and detection of multiple antigens in one rapid, high-throughput flow cytometry assay.

CDC researchers have isolated select Chlamydophila pneumoniae peptide epitopes for development of vaccines and diagnostic assays. Currently, C. pneumoniae infection of humans has been linked to a wide variety of acute and chronic diseases, such as asthma, endocarditis, atherosclerotic vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sarcoidosis, reactive arthritis and multiple sclerosis. There is presently no available peptide vaccine for the pathogen and reliable and accurate diagnostic methods are limited.

This CDC invention provides methods for preventing or treating inflammatory response-linked, infection induced pathologies, which are mediated by endogenous substance P. Substance P is a naturally-occurring and major pro-inflammatory neuromediator or neuromodulator, and elevated levels of substance P have been implicated in numerous inflammation-associated diseases. More specifically, this technology entails administration of anti-substance P antibodies or anti-substance P antibody fragments to a subject in need, thereby inhibiting the activity of endogenous substance P.