High-throughput in vivo screening platform for chemical and genetic modulators of Apoliprotein-B

Unmet Need: Rapid and sensitive screening platform to develop diagnostic tests for metabolic diseases.
Technology Overview: Elevated serum Apolipoprotein-B (ApoB) may represent a unifying risk factor underlying many of the world’s most prevalent metabolic diseases. ApoB levels independently predict incidence of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease even after adjusting for confounding variables Elevated serum Apolipoprotein-B (ApoB) may represent a unifying risk factor underlying many of the world’s most prevalent metabolic diseases. ApoB levels independently predict incidence of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease even after adjusting for confounding variables.  The technology is an in-vivo high-throughput screening assay for modulators of ApoB in the larval zebrafish. For this purpose we have engineered the first ever transgenic zebrafish carrying a luciferase reporter fused to ApoB, which enables rapid and sensitive reporter quantification in 96-well plate format. 
Results indicaqte that the assay is not disruptive to zebrafish metabolism, is responsive to physiological and pharmaceutical treatments, is statistically robust, and compatible with existing automated high-throughput screening platforms.
 
Stage of Development:   This technology is currently being developed by research within Johns Hopkins University.
 

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