Navigation Links
Einstein and Pitt researchers develop new TB test that will dramatically cut diagnosis time
Date:3/19/2009

March 19, 2009 (BRONX, NY) Researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and The University of Pittsburgh have developed an onsite method to quickly diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and expose the deadly drug-resistant strains that can mingle undetected with treatable TB strains. This study will be published in PLoS ONE, a peer-reviewed online journal from the Public Library of Science.

The researchers engineered bacteriophages, tiny viruses that attack bacteria, with a green fluorescence protein (GFP) implanted in their genome. Bacteriophages spread by injecting their DNA into bacterial cells. In this case, the GFP gene accompanies the DNA of the phage into the Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell, the bacterium that causes TB, causing the cell to glow. A clinician could detect the glow with equipment available at many clinics.

"The development of these reporter flurophages allows us to bypass the existing method of diagnosing TB, which requires cultivating slow-growing bacteria in a biosafety level 3 environment, a time-consuming and costly process," says William R. Jacobs, Jr., Ph.D., one of the authors of the study. "By infecting live M. tuberculosis cells with a flurophage, a quick and highly sensitive visual reading can be done. We are optimistic that we can move the diagnostic process from several weeks to several days or even hours, which could have a significant impact on treatment."

"A report from South Africa showed that the extensively drug-resistant TB strains can kill within 16 days, on average," says Graham Hatfull, Ph.D., the lead author and close collaborator of Dr. Jacobs. "In rural Africa, it takes too long to collect samples, send them off, do the test, and have the data sent back. Clinicians need rapid, relatively cheap, and simple methods for detecting TB and drug-resistant strains in the local clinic. This test provides a quick diagnosis so the patient can be isolated and treated."


'/>"/>

Contact: Deirdre Branley
dbranley@aecom.yu.edu
718-430-2923
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Empire State Stem Cell Board awards $12.7 million to Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2. Einstein scientists receive $10 million NIH grant
3. Einstein researchers develop technique to count messages made by single genes
4. Einstein researchers develop a new way to study how breast cancer spreads
5. In scientific first, Einstein researchers correct decline in organ function associated with old age
6. Feinstein researchers develop new genetic method and identify novel genes for schizophrenia
7. Einstein researchers receive grants totaling $700,000 for innovative breast cancer research
8. Einstein researcher receives NIH grant to explore epigenetic regulation of the human genome
9. University researchers to develop coatings that kill superbugs
10. K-State researchers work with university in Ghana to create biofuels from native tree seeds
11. Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes 2009: Six young researchers recognized for outstanding achievements

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:11/23/2009)... CHAMPAIGN, Ill. A new study provides "incontrov... of Toba on the island of Sumatra about 73,000 yea...0 miles from the epicenter, researchers report. ,...eters of ash into the atmosphere, leaving a crater...00 kilometers long and 35 kilometers wide. Ash fro...
(Date:11/23/2009)..., BIRMINGHAM, Ala. A new study by University of...t body-mass index (BMI) and co-existing medical co...ed survival observed among African-Americans compa...study is published online Nov. 23 in Cancer , a j...ding indicates that although BMI and co-morbidity ...
(Date:11/23/2009)...CORVALLIS, Ore. A string of recent discoveries ab...renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, i...ho are deficient in it, spurred research and even ...ic." , On issues ranging from the health of your...even vulnerability to influenza, vitamin D is now ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Supervolcano eruption -- in Sumatra -- deforested India 73,000 years ago 2Racial disparity in colon cancer survival not easily explained, UAB researchers say 2Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive 2Multiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive 3Diamyd 28R 29 Phase III Study Approved for Younger Patients in the US 12511 1Diamyd 28R 29 Phase III Study Approved for Younger Patients in the US 12511 2Photos 3A FDA Approves 12 Month Labeling Update for EVOLENCE 28R 29 Collagen Based Facial Filler 12508 1Photos 3A FDA Approves 12 Month Labeling Update for EVOLENCE 28R 29 Collagen Based Facial Filler 12508 2Photos 3A FDA Approves 12 Month Labeling Update for EVOLENCE 28R 29 Collagen Based Facial Filler 12508 3Photos 3A FDA Approves 12 Month Labeling Update for EVOLENCE 28R 29 Collagen Based Facial Filler 12508 4Somanetics Corporation to Release Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Host Conference Call June 17 2009 48147 1Somanetics Corporation to Release Second Quarter 2009 Financial Results and Host Conference Call June 17 2009 48147 2
...the bad guys that help bacterial pathogens do thei...s immune system. In essence, they knock down the ...rm system. , Now, researchers at the University of...ave identified a novel molecular target for an eff...s of the bacteria Yersinia – the pathogen responsi...
...as found that a new gene therapy can nearly elimin...term damage to the affected joints, according to a...d Rheumatism. While the study was done in mice, th... osteoarthritis like humans, with the same genetic...elop the disease, the authors said. If all goes we...
...eered to lack a single enzyme in their brains are ...and are quicker to figure out that their environme...uthwestern Medical Center has found. , The result...ournal Nature Neuroscience , reveal a new mechani...humans as a target for treating disorders such as ...
Other Biology News:How plague-causing bacteria disarm host defense 2Experimental gene therapy 'abolishes' arthritis pain and lessens joint damage 2Experimental gene therapy 'abolishes' arthritis pain and lessens joint damage 3Experimental gene therapy 'abolishes' arthritis pain and lessens joint damage 4'Smart' mice teach scientists about learning process, brain disorders 2
(Date:11/24/2009)...orpatientswithadvanced-stage,orrecurrentendometria...Call/-AEternaZentarisInc.(NASDAQ: AEZS ;TSX:AEZ)(t...donendocrinetherapyandoncology,todayannouncedposit...toxicpeptideconjugate,AEZS-108(formerlyAN-152),inp...apersonalizedhealthcareapproach,thestudyselectedpa...
(Date:11/24/2009)...re-FirstCall/--GenomicHealth,Inc.(Nasdaq: GHDX )to...eChairman,willpresentatthe21stAnnualPiperJaffrayHe...,2009at10:00a.m.ET. ,, Toaccesstheliveandsubseq...estorRelationssectionofGenomicHealth,swebsiteat ht...ewebsiteatleast15minutespriortothebeginningofthepr...
(Date:11/24/2009)...l/--CellTherapeutics,Inc.(CTI)(NasdaqandMTA:CTIC)m...lthCareConference.TheconferencewillbeheldDecember1...entonTuesday,December1at11:00a.m.EasternTimeinHolm...willbeavailableat www.celltherapeutics.com ,anditw...ffrayHealthCareConference,NewYorkPalaceHotel,Holme...
(Date:11/23/2009)...arbon layer in which the carbon atoms are arranged...arbon nanotubes are rolled-up sheets of graphene, ...Graphene boasts some very special characteristics ...mal conductor, and reconciles such conflicting qua...graphene is impermeable to gases, which makes it i...
Breaking Biology Technology:AEterna Zentaris Announces Positive Results for Phase 2 Study with LHRH-Receptor Targeted Cytotoxic Conjugate AEZS-108 in Endometrial Cancer 2AEterna Zentaris Announces Positive Results for Phase 2 Study with LHRH-Receptor Targeted Cytotoxic Conjugate AEZS-108 in Endometrial Cancer 3AEterna Zentaris Announces Positive Results for Phase 2 Study with LHRH-Receptor Targeted Cytotoxic Conjugate AEZS-108 in Endometrial Cancer 4Genomic Health to Present at Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference 2Polymer with honeycomb structure 2
...nsional liquid chromatography (MDLC) • revers...MS/MS • DeCyder MS • differential analys...n conjunction with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS...racted from the pollen of the olive tree, Olea eu...oftware (DeCyder MS) was used to quantitate differ...
... DNA Genotek Inc., Ottawa, ON, Canada , ...l with TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays. , SN...n E genes were reliably , detected., ...nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are highly abundan...of every 1,000 bases in the human genome (ref. 1)....
... Ottawa, Ontario, Canada , , St...n add significant , costs to a project. O..., specimens to be stored for years at room..., , Introduction , L...to thousands of subjects, , are frequentl...
Other Biology Technology:Detection, identification, and quantitation of an olive allergen using Ettan MDLC, MS/MS, and DeCyder MS 2Detection, identification, and quantitation of an olive allergen using Ettan MDLC, MS/MS, and DeCyder MS 3Detection, identification, and quantitation of an olive allergen using Ettan MDLC, MS/MS, and DeCyder MS 4Detection, identification, and quantitation of an olive allergen using Ettan MDLC, MS/MS, and DeCyder MS 5Detection, identification, and quantitation of an olive allergen using Ettan MDLC, MS/MS, and DeCyder MS 6Detection, identification, and quantitation of an olive allergen using Ettan MDLC, MS/MS, and DeCyder MS 7Detection, identification, and quantitation of an olive allergen using Ettan MDLC, MS/MS, and DeCyder MS 8Detection, identification, and quantitation of an olive allergen using Ettan MDLC, MS/MS, and DeCyder MS 9Oragene is compatible with TaqMan SNP genotyping 2Oragene is compatible with TaqMan SNP genotyping 3DNA Stability with Oragene 2DNA Stability with Oragene 3
Yeast-GFP 96-well Plates from Invitrogen
...joined forces with the Mickle Laboratory Engineeri...hopper. This tissue sectioning system has been des...experiments and to be especially applicable to sma...from small organs. Its special features cause much...
Earle's Balanced Salt Solution, 10x (EBSS) from Sigma-Aldrich
...ive peptides are molecules of peptidic nature or o...vity which can be developed at the industrial leve...o-food applications. In this way it is possible to... for therapeutic applications. Primm offers a desi...
Biology Products: