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Recombinant antigens as serological tools for specific and sensitive tegumentary and visceral leishmaniasis diagnosis

Objetivo



THERE IS A DRAMATIC NEED FOR IMPROVED DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS FOR VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS (VL) AND AMERICAN TEGUMENTARY LEISHMANIASIS (ATL). DEFINITIVE DIAGNOSIS OF LEISHMANIASIS NOW INVOLVES BIOPSIES FROM THE LESION (ATL) OR, WORSE, FROM THE BONE MARROW OR SPLEEN (VL). SMEARS AND CULTURE, AS WELL AS DNA HYBRIDIZATION POSE SPECIAL PROBLEMS, AND USUALLY REQUIRE LARGE NUMBERS OF PARASITES; WHILST THE MORE SENSITIVE PCR TECHNIQUES (WHICH IS CURRENTLY USED IN IMTAvH AND CNMVIS LAB) REMAINS PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE. WE WILL DEVELOP RAPID, HIGHLY SENSITIVE IMMUNOLOGICAL TEST FORMATS USING LEISHMANIA RECOMBINANT PEPTIDE ANTIGENS, TRULY SPECIFIC FOR ATL AND VL. CLASSICAL SEROLOGY (IFAT, IDAT, ELISA) WITH CRUDE ANTIGENS PRESENTS CROSS/ NON SPECIFIC REACTIONS WITH OTHER DISEASES SUCH AS THE TRYPANOSOMIASES, LEPROSY, TUBERCULOSIS, MALARIA, ETC; OTHER PROBLEMS ARE LOW ANTIBODY LEVELS (ATL) AND ANTIGEN-STRAIN HETEROGENEITY. AT LEAST 30% OF AIDS PATIENTS WITH VL (MADRID) SHOW NO ANTI-LEISHMANIA ANTIBODIES USING CLASSICAL SEROLOGY, AND VL DIAGNOSIS AGAIN DEPENDS ON CULTURE.
MSC. YSABEL MONTOYA OF IMTAvH (PERU), DR. JORGE ALVAR OF CNMVIS (SPAIN) AND DR. DOUGLAS BARKER OF UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (ENGLAND) ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO IMPROVEMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS FOR LEISHMANIASIS AND CURRENTLY COLLABORATE IN OTHER PROJECTS.
THE PERUVIAN AND SPANISH GROUPS WILL PREPARE cDNA LIBRARIES OF THE LEISHMANIA SPECIES INVOLVED (L. BRAZILIENSIS, L. INFANTUM) AND GENERATE TESTS FOR ATL AND VL USING LARGE PANELS OF SERA FROM KNOWN PATIENTS, DOGS AND CONTROLS. THE BRITISH GROUP WILL PROVIDE BASIC TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND SUPPORT MUCH OF THE TRAINING.
WE WILL USE THE POWER OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNOLOGIES TO OBTAIN SPECIFIC RECOMBINANTG PEPTIDES RECOGNIZED BY LARGE PANELS OF SERA FROM KNOWN VL AND ATL PATIENTS, AND THEN APPLY THEM TO THE DESIGN OF EFFECTIVE, HIGHLY SENSITIVE, LOW-COST PROCEDURES: ENZYME LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT (ELISA) AND PHAGE DOPT ARRAY IMMUNOASSAY.

Tema(s)

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Convocatoria de propuestas

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Régimen de financiación

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinador

UNIVERSIDAD PERUANA CAYETANO HEREDIA
Aportación de la UE
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Dirección
430,Avda Honorio Delgado 430-Urb. Ingeniera- SMP
31 LIMA
Perú

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Participantes (1)