Plasmid Expressing P. Falciparum Aldolase Isolate 3D7

Unmet Need
Approximately 214 million malaria cases were recorded in 2015 with 438,000 people dying from this disease. The majority of these deaths result from a failure to diagnose and treat malaria before the onset of severe disease, at which point, even with proper treatment a 20% mortality rate may be expected.
 
Microscopy is the current gold standard for diagnosing malaria followed by PCR assays, but both require specialized equipment and trained personnel. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are becoming the most accessible format of malaria diagnostic testing in clinical point of contact settings. RDTs are antibody based tests that diagnose malaria by detecting Plasmodium antigens. Novel malaria antigens are sought for both for treatment therapies and diagnostic testing.
 
Technology Overview
Johns Hopkins researchers have cloned a fragment of the aldolase coding exon from P. falciparum (inserted into a vector with a histidine tag at the carboxy end).
 
Stage of Development
Johns Hopkins inventors have created a plasmid expressing Plasmodium falciparum aldolase. This plasmid expresses a recombinant P. falciparum aldolase which be may utilized for diagnostic testing.
 
Publications
Trager W and Jensen JB, Science (1976) 193;4254, 673-675.
Pisciotta JM et al., Biochem. J. (2007) 402, 197–204.
 

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