EpitoPredikt® and EpitoGen® combine to develop a diagnostic test for Lyme Disease (LD)
The diagnostic pathway in the UK follows a two-step approach using commonly available antibody screening tests. This process is lengthy, complex, expensive, and requires experienced personnel as well as multiple centres. Furthermore, current screening tests are known to produce false positives.
Recently, we began the LD project with the overarching objective of developing a one-stop diagnostic test for the early detection of LD. Moreover, we hope to deliver a test to differentiate between ongoing/chronic LD and past/recovered LD patients.
Our AI software EpitoprediktTM will be used to scan the infection agent (Borrelia burgdorferi) which causes LD to identify epitopes that elicit IgG and IgM specific immune responses. These selected epitopes will then be multiplexed into a chimeric antigen and incorporated into the EpitoGen® scaffold to form the basis of prototype lab-based and point-of-care tests, which will be externally validated. Both tests will ultimately be produced for high throughput screening purposes and a point-of-care test to enable more rapid diagnosis, improved clinical decision-making, treatment choice, monitoring, and prognosis. These tests will result in assured decision-making and efficient resource utilization.