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CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) APPEARS TO BE AN UBIQUITOUS VIRAL PATHOGEN.

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 1347
Amount: $50,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1984
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
10 Nonesuch Road P.o. Box 60
Scarborough, ME 04074
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 DOUGLAS J. MCALLISTER
 DIRECTOR
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) APPEARS TO BE AN UBIQUITOUS VIRAL PATHOGEN. IT IS A HIGHLY OPPORTUNISTIC AGENT AND DUE TO ITS LATENCY, AS A MEMBER OF THE HERPES FAMILY OF VIRUSES, IT CAN RECUR ABRUPTLY, ERUPTING AS A LETHAL INFECTION. THE SPECTRUM THE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY CAUSED BY CMV INCLUDES CONGENITAL, PERINATAL, POSTNATAL, ORGAN TRANSPLANT AND TRANSFUSION INFECTIONS. CURRENT DIAGNOSIS IS NOT WELL STANDARDIZED, AND IS BASED ON THE APPEARANCE OF CYTOPATHIC EFFECT IN A SUITABLE HOST TISSUE CULTURE. TIME FOR DIAGNOSIS IS LONG (7-21 DAYS) AND SPECIFICITY IS POOR. THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO DEVELOP AN ENZYME EMMUNOASSAY TO RAPIDLY DETECT CMV ANTIGEN IN URINE. PHASE I FUNDING WILL ALLOW DEVELOPMENT OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO VARIOUS POLYPEPTIDES OF THE CMV VIRIOU. IN PHASE II, THE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES WILL BE FULLY CHARACTERIZED AND THEN USED 1) AS TOOLS TO PURIFY CMV POLYPEPTIDES FOR USE AS IMMUNOGENS IN THE PRODUCTION OF POLYCLONAL MONOSPECIFIC ANTISERA, AND 2) AS POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC REAGENTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE POLYCLONAL REAGENTS TO DEVELOP A SENSITIVE (POLYCLONAL), SPECIFIC (MONOCLONAL), RAPID ASSAY TO DETECT CMV SHED IN THE URINE OF INFECTED INDIVIDUALS. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT SENSITIVITY WILL HAVE TO BE GREATLY INCREASED OVER THAT OF CONVENTIONAL COLORIMETRIC ELISA'S, AND THIS WILL BE APPROACHED IN SEVERAL NOVEL WAYS BY EXAMINING OTHER ENZYMES, FLUOROGENIC SUBSTRATES, AND ALTERNATE SOLID PHASES. POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF SUCH AN ASSAY ARE GREAT, AS THIS NEED IS NOT CURRENTLY BEING MET. SUCH AN ASSAY COULD BE EXPECTED TO BE WIDELY USED IN PEDIATRIC WARDS, PRENATAL CLINICS, ONCOLOGY CHEMOTHERAPY SETTINGS, TRANSPLANTATION CLINICS, AND TRANSFUSION CENTERS. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE GOALS AS OUTLINED BY THE RAPID VIRAL DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM OF THE NIAID.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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