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Topic Name: Develop a quick, simple and cheap immune-system test
Category: Bioelectronics
Research persons: Antje Baeumner, associate professor of biological and environmental engineering
Location: 106 Riley-Robb Hall,Cornell University,Ithaca, NY 14853,607 255-2465, United States
Details
A Cornell researcher is working
to develop a quick, simple and cheap immune-system test for people in the
developing world. It could help HIV/AIDS sufferers in the poorest countries get
appropriate treatment to extend their lives, possibly by as much as 10 to 15
years.
"When patients are infected with HIV/AIDS, the
number of circulating CD4 T-cells drops significantly," explains Baeumner. "If
they get the appropriate retroviral treatment, their life span can be increased
by many years. CD4 counts assist in the decisions on when to initiate and when
to stop the treatment, which makes this test so important.
"While such testing is routine in Western
countries -- and used repeatedly over the course of treatment to see if
interventions are effective -- it's unavailable to many people in the developing
world, especially in rural areas."
For the first two years, Baeumner will work on
developing a test for CD4+ T-lymphocytes in the blood that can be likened to a
pregnancy test using biosensor nanovesicles (microscopic, fluid-filled pouches
made of phospholipids that can deliver drugs -- also known as liposomes) to
enhance the signal. Several other consortium organizations also are working on
the similar product development so that the best possible test can be developed
in the shortest time possible.
"Currently, most people in the world, such as
those in Third World countries, infected with HIV have no access to detection
technology," explains Baeumner, noting that 40 million people live with HIV/AIDS
worldwide, many of them in areas where electricity is unreliable or nonexistent,
water quality is poor and there are few, if any, highly skilled health-care
technicians. "This test, however, is being developed to endure harsh temperature
conditions and be truly simple -- no batteries will be needed, for example."
Other members of the consortium include
Beckman Coulter Inc., PATH, Zyomyx Inc. and Macfarlane Burnet Institute of
Australia.
About Researcher:
Antje Baeumner,
Biological and Environmental
Engineering
Cornell University
318 Riley-Robb Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-5701
Phone: (607) 255-5433
Fax: (607) 255-4080
E-Mail: ajb23@cornell.edu
Funded:
The work is part of an $8.6 million
international consortium, called the CD4 Initiative, led by Imperial College in
London and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Antje J. Baeumner,
Cornell associate professor of biological and environmental engineering, has
been awarded an initial $386,000 (subject to annual renewal for four years) from
the consortium to determine a way to simply assess the critical HIV/AIDS immune
system factors -- CD4 T-cell count, or CD4+ T-lymphocytes count -- in the blood.
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