Development of Aptamers that Specifically Bind Taenia Solium
Abstract number :
1.1
Submission category :
2. Translational Research / 2C. Biomarkers
Year :
2021
Submission ID :
1826569
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/4/2021 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2021, 06:54 AM
Authors :
G. Thomas Caltagirone, PhD - Aptagen, LLC; G. Thomas Caltagirone - Aptagen, LLC; M. James Cosentino - Aptagen, LLC; Stephen Doria - Aptagen, LLC
Rationale: Adult Taenia solium tapeworms reside and reproduce in the intestines of infected hosts, causing mild digestive discomfort. However, T. solium eggs that hatch in the intestinal tract burrow through the gut wall as oncospheres and migrate to striated muscle tissue. Those that reach the central nervous system form cysticerci that induce the epileptic seizures characteristic of neurocysticercosis. Current tests for Taenia solium are brain imaging and ELISA, 14-40% effective when only one cyst is present. A need exists for a rapid and low-cost, home-based test that can detect Taenia solium with at least 95% certainty.
Methods: Aptamers (short single-stranded DNA ligands with binding capability) for T. solium enolase were isolated using a directed molecular evolutionary process called Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (SELEX). An aptamer library with a diversity of 1014 was screened against clinically positive samples, using clinically negative samples to control for off-target responses. Mass spectrometry analysis of those samples was conducted to identify potential T. solium biomarkers to guide the enrichment. After sufficient enrichment, the library underwent next-generation sequencing to identify individual candidates for characterization and assay development.
Results: In this study, we have identified a unique biomarker indicative of T. solium infection, an enzyme called enolase. Furthermore, a paper-strip test, lateral flow assay (LFA), is being developed using aptamer probes to detect the presence of enolase in positive patient samples infected with Taenia solium.
Conclusions: This research led to the identification of 5 monoclonal aptamers that bind specifically and with high affinity to enolase in T. solium stool samples from infected patients. These aptamers are being used to develop a competitive lateral flow assay to detect T. solium.
Funding: Please list any funding that was received in support of this abstract.: This work is currently funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Translational Research