Tufts
HHS, Cohen Foundation Award $1M to Lyme Disease Dx Research Projects
The funding is being provided to 10 groups through the LymeX Diagnostics Prize initiative, which was launched in late 2020 by theHHS- and Cohen Foundation-backed Lyme Innovation Accelerator.
The group is developing an ELISA assay that uses phospholipids acquired by Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme bacterium, as biomarkers of disease.
Using an immunoassay as an initial screening tool saved approximately $36,000 over multiplex PCR panel use alone when performed in a period of high flu prevalence.
The device consists of a reservoir that enables the analyte to contact only the top of a screen-printed electrode, increasing sensitivity.
Researchers at Tufts and their collaborators recently demonstrated that the approach, which uses multiphoton microscopy, can distinguish between normal and cancerous skin.