In the 1970’s WHO proclaimed that eradication of smallpox should be attempted. This goal has been achieved 1979. There is now consensus that list of newly emerging or re-emerging pathogens is continuously growing. During the last decades pathogens such as Marburg, Ebola, Hepatitis-C and Hantavirus, HIV and more recently, SARS coronavirus have emerged. Today the risk of a new influenza pandemic again highlights the global threat of infectious diseases. In addition, the possibility of bioterrorist attacks using highly pathogenic viruses and bacteria can not be ignored. Furthermore, the requirements for sensitivity and specificity of diagnostics have increased.

A major obstacle for the detection of pathogens in clinical or environmental samples are false negative results, e.g. for HCV “occult infections”. This is mainly due to the lack of a rapid and reliable pathogen concentration methodology, and the inability of most of the currently used technologies to eliminate or neutralize interfering “natural inhibitors” present in samples.

The aim of this research program is to exploit the “non-self” recognition and binding properties of human apolipoprotein H (ApoH). ApoH binds and captures pathogens enabling their concentration from different biological samples. Magnetic beads coated with ApoH recombinant protein can be efficiently used as a pre-treatment step to greatly improve the detection threshold and thereby increasing the sensitivity for diagnosis of emerging pathogens, regardless of the molecular techniques used for their diagnosis. The project will focus on viruses and bacteria from clinical and environmental samples including those that could be used in bioterrorism.

While the publicly funded partners, the Robert Koch Institut (RKI), the Institut de Recherches pour le Développement (IRD), the Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile, working in virology and public health will incorporate ApoH technology into regular molecular techniques for pathogen detection, the SME will develop and standardise mini-array systems for rapid, multiple and ultra-sensitive pathogen diagnosis:

 ApoH-Technologies develop ApoH coated supports for diagnostic purposes, GenExpress is specialized in the development and optimisation of molecular biology assays, the Institut für Siliziumtechnologie (ISIT) is specialized in the development and production of microelectronic components and will supply the technology of detection on eBiochips, eBiochip Systems is focussed on the development ad production of advanced electronic biochips, SKULD-TECH provide a trascriptomic platform including leading edge molecular biology technologies and IMMUNOCLIN provides strategic direction as well as management and laboratory services for clinical development and pre-clinical contract research.