Albert Ko, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases, received a 3-year, $2.8 million phase II Small Business Innovative Research Grant (SBIR) from the NIH to Fully Develop a Rapid Diagnostic Test for Leptospirosis.
Albert Ko, M.D., of the Division of Infectious Diseases, received a 3-year, $2.8 million phase II Small Business Innovative Research Grant (SBIR) from the NIH to fully develop a rapid diagnostic test for leptospirosis. Dr. Ko received this grant in collaboration with Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc., a U.S. company serving the increasing global demand for rapid tests needed for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and other conditions.
The overarching goal of the grant is to develop a rapid test for leptospirosis which can be used to provide early diagnoses and allow health professionals to implement timely treatment with antibiotics to prevent the life-threatening manifestations of this infectious disease. Leptospirosis is transmitted by rats, livestock and domestic animals in populations without access to adequate sanitation. It is considered a neglected infectious disease since it imparts its greatest burden on poor populations in developing countries. The lack of an effective diagnostic test has been one of the major barriers in the public health response to this disease. With the completion of this project, Dr. Ko expects to obtain regulatory approval for a test for the specific purpose of providing rapid diagnoses to the poorest regions of the world where leptospirosis is an important infectious disease problem.
An urban slum study site in Salvador, Brazil where Dr. Ko and his team are conducting long-term cohort studies to study the natural history of leptospirosis and identify community-based interventions.