Diagnostics Summaries

A biomarker to monitor CNS efficacy of 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD)
Ory, Daniel
T-012136

— Background: Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) disease is a rare neurological disorder characterized by cholesterol and lipid accumulation in the central nervous system. Individuals with the abnormal buildup of cholesterol and other lipids in the brain often suffer from cognitive and movement difficulties,…

Tumor detection by targeting and monitoring integrin expression using synergistic effects of molecular beacons and peptides
Achilefu, Samuel
T-005371

— Background: Integrins are multi-subunit transmembrane proteins involved in a wide range of cellular processes including the induction of new blood vessel formation and tumor metastasis. The growth of new blood vessels, termed angiogenesis, is associated with an altered integrin expression profile wh…

Kidney disease biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis or clinical trials monitoring
Chen, Ying ; Kim, Yeawon
T-016375

— Technology Description Researchers in Prof. Ying “Maggie” Chen’s laboratory have identified three sensitive, urine-based biomarkers of kidney disease that could be used for non-invasive, early detection and clinical trials monitoring. In particular, these mechanistic biomarkers a…

Subtyping of schizophrenia based on genome and pathology
Cloninger, C. Robert ; Svrakic, Dragan ; Zwir, Jorge "Igor"
T-015118

— Technology Description Researchers in Igor Zwir’s lab at Washington University have developed a diagnostic system to categorize patients with schizophrenia into 8 sub-groups. The system recommends a sub-group based on both genetic and psychopathology data and provides clinicians with a knowl…

microRNA biomarker and drug target for ALS and other motor neuron diseases
Dougherty, Joseph ; Hoye, Mariah ; Hyman, Theodore ; Koval, Erica ; Miller, Timothy
T-015167

— Prof. Timothy Miller and colleagues have identified a motor neuron-specific, drug responsive microRNA (miR-218) that reflects the pathology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This biomarker could be a target for therapeutic intervention or a proxy for motor neuron health and survival, including…

Vaccines and antibodies against malaria and other parasitic diseases in humans and animals
Jimah, John ; Tolia, Niraj
T-016150

— Technology Description Researchers in Prof. Niraj Tolia’s laboratory have exploited structure-based vaccine design to develop immunogenic compositions and neutralizing antibodies that could protect against malaria and a range of other parasitic diseases that affect humans, livestock and comp…

MR Method for Quantification of Anisotropic Diffusion
Conradi, Mark ; Sukstansky, Alexander ; Yablonskiy, Dmitriy
T-003068

— Magnetic Resonance (MR) is known to allow quantitative measurements of molecular diffusion in different materials. Such materials are frequently composed of structural units. Boundaries of these units serve as restrictive barriers for diffusing molecules. In case of structurally anisotropic units,…

Low-cost, flexible paper substrate for sensitive trace chemical and biological detection using SERS (surface enhanced Raman scattering)
Kharasch, Evan ; Lee, Chang Hee ; Morrissey, Jeremiah ; Singamaneni, Srikanth
T-010600

— Technology Description Researchers in Prof. Srikanth Singamaneni’s laboratory have developed a patented, low-cost, flexible substrate designed to improve sample collection and enhance analyte detection with surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) or localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR…

Styryl Heteroaromatic Ring Containing Analogues for Alpha-Synuclein
Kotzbauer, Paul ; Li, Junfeng ; Tu, Zhude "Will" ; Yue, Xuyi
T-014558

— Compounds with high affinity for aggregated alpha-synuclein, after radiolabeling with C-11 or F-18, 1- 125, 1-123 and Br-76, could be used as PET tracers to measure the level and distribution of aggregated alpha-synuclein in patients with Parkinson’s disease and related diseases such as DLB…

Cell permaeable nanoconjugates of shell-crosslinked knedel (SCK) and peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) with unr mRNA targeting sequences for early diagnosis and therapy of cancers
Becker, Matthew ; Fang, Huafeng ; Pan, Dipanjan ; Rossin, Raffaella ; Sun, Xiankai ; Taylor, John-Stephen ; Turner, Jeffrey ; Welch, Michael ; Wooley, Karen
T-004487

— This invention features cell permeable nano conjugates of shell-cross-linked knedel (SCK) and peptide nucleic acids (PNA) with mRNA targeting sequences for early diagnosis and therapy of cancers.

Novel PET/SPECT Radiopharmaceutical for Improving Biomedical Imaging
Piwnica-Worms, David ; Sharma, Vijay ; Sivapackiam, Jothilingam
T-010438

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a novel positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceutical for myocardial perfusion imaging. Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is widely employed in the evaluation of patients with heart disease. Several ag…

Novel Bile Acids as Biomarkers for Early Detection of Niemann-Pick Type C Disease
Jiang, Xuntian ; Ory, Daniel
T-014292

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a set of novel bile acid biomarkers to screen, diagnose, and monitor the progression of Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease. Current testing for this disease takes an average of three months, is invasive (a skin…

Novel PET/SPECT Radiopharmaceutical for Improving Biomedical Imaging
Piwnica-Worms, David ; Sharma, Vijay ; Sivapackiam, Jothilingam
T-010438

Capture-based sequencing for comprehensive, cost-effective multiple myeloma prognostics and monitoring
Fulton, Robert ; Lanc, Irena ; Tomasson, Michael ; White, Brian
T-016907

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University developed a prognostic assay for multiple myeloma that detects the full range of common multiple myeloma mutations using a single capture-based sequencing platform. This technology utilizes probes designed to analyze 465 genes associated …

Biomarker to predict cancer response to chemotherapy
Diamond, Marc ; Shao, Jieya
T-015631

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a prognostic biomarker that can be used to predict response to genotoxic chemotherapy for patients with basal-like/triple-negative breast cancer. Basal-like/triple-negative breast cancer is considered to be mor…

Ceramide profiling for blood-based predictive screening for cardiovascular disease, heart failure and death
Ory, Daniel ; Peterson, Linda ; Schaffer, Jean
T-014627

— Technology Description A team of researchers has developed a high throughput, FDA-compliant assay to predict coronary heart disease and mortality in the general population 6-10 years before the onset of disease. This fully validated two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (L…

PET tracers for detection of early stage Alzheimer’s disease
Guruswami, Sundaram ; Sharma, Vijay ; Sivapackiam, Jothilingam
T-013525

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed PET radiotracers to image amyloid beta (A-beta) at early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). For AD treatment to be effective, it may have to be administered during the preclinical stage. As such, there i…

Kidney disease biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis or clinical trials monitoring
Chen, Ying ; Kim, Yeawon
T-016375

Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease and Brain Injury
Ladenson, Jack ; Landt, Yvonne ; Laterza, Omar ; Modur, Vijay
T-004414

— Technology Description Researchers in Prof. Jack Ladenson’s laboratory have discovered biomarkers and associated antibodies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that could be used for early/presymptomatic diagnosis or in clinical trials for AD drugs. This patented technology is based on the i…

Breath-based testing for malaria
John, Audrey Odom "Audrey Odom" ; Schaber, Chad ; Trehan, Indi
T-016183

— Technology Description Researchers in Prof. Audrey Odom John’s laboratory have discovered a malaria “breathprint” that could be used for blood-free, rapid, field-stable, point-of-care testing and monitoring. In addition, certain molecules identified by the inventors could attract…

Anti-MIOX antibodies for sensitive, specific early detection of acute kidney injury
Crimmins, Dan ; Gaut, Joseph ; Ladenson, Jack ; Laterza, Omar ; Lockwood, Christina ; Modur, Vijay
T-013292

— Technology Description A team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed patented antibodies designed to identify MIOX (myo-inositol oxygenase), a renal-specific biomarker that can be detected immediately following acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI can be caused by surgery, s…

Tools for the Detection of High-Density Lipoprotein Transport To and From Tissues
Huang, Li-Hao ; Randolph, Gwendalyn ; Zinselmeyer, Bernd
T-015939

— Background High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) have been widely studied and linked to various diseases, especially metabolic diseases. HDL levels in the blood have traditionally been used as a benchmark for risk of cardiovascular disease. However, these blood tests may be misleading – HDL levels…

Targeting CD5+ Dendritic Cell in Skin for the Treatment of Chronic Diseases
Klechevsky, Eynav
T-016609

— Background Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that are essential to the adaptability of the immune system. Several subsets of DCs have been identified in tissues that interface with the environment (e.g. skin, mucosal lining). While the role of specific DC subsets are unknown, DCs p…

Sensitive and Accurate Mass Spec-based assay for simultaneous quantification of glycosylsphingosine and galactosylsphingosine
Jiang, Xuntian ; Ory, Daniel
T-016077

— Background Gaucher and Krabbe disease are two types of lipid (fat) storage diseases that can result in progressive damage to the nervous system and other organ systems. Together, these diseases affect about 450,000 people worldwide. In both of these diseases, there is an undesirable accumulation of…

Recombinant Chikungunya Virus Soluble E2 Protein
Barrow, Melissa ; Diamond, Michael ; Fremont, Daved ; Pal, Pankaj
T-014734 A microRNA expression signature for the prognosis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Wang, Xiaowei
T-012911

— Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) rates have increased significantly in recent years, and because of the different underlying causes of the disease no single treatment regime seems to be advantageous over another. Currently, the prognosis of OSCC is based on clinical features of the OSCC…

Multifunctional chemical agents for metal chelation, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, fluorescence imaging, and amyloid plaque clearance in Alzheimerâ€™s disease
Mirica, Liviu ; Schultz, Jason ; Sharma, Anuj
T-013190

— Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the deposition of amyloid plaques containing the amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide. Currently, no treatment is available for AD. Metal ion interactions of the Aβ peptide are believed to help formation of toxic aggregates. Developing chemical compo…

New diagnostic test method for infectious diseases
Storch, Gregory
T-013735

— Background: Viral infections are common causes of fever without an apparent source (FWS) in young children. Despite absence of bacterial infection, many febrile children are treated with antibiotics. Virus and bacteria interact with different pattern recognition receptors in circulating blood leuko…

Imaging and treatment of pathophysiologic conditions by Cerenkov Radiation
Achilefu, Samuel ; Kotagiri, Nalinikanth
T-013974

— Background: Around 1 million patients receive radiation therapy every year with an estimated cost of $2,000 per treatment. The market demands technologies that can provide efficacious therapeutics and diagnostic imaging while minimizing harmful side effects. Photodynamic therapy can simultaneously s…

microRNA biomarker and drug target for ALS and other motor neuron diseases
Dougherty, Joseph ; Hoye, Mariah ; Hyman, Theodore ; Koval, Erica ; Miller, Timothy
T-015167

Novel Acute Myocardial Injury Biomarker Profile
Bach, Richard ; Boyle, Walter
T-015345

— Background: Cardiovascular disease, including acute myocardial injury (AMI), is responsible for over 610,000 deaths per year in the US making it the number one cause of death. The gold standard for AMI diagnosis relies on determination of the cardiac troponin I (cTnI) plasma level. The rise in the l…

Neurofibromin/dopamine signaling as a biomarker for cognitive and behavioral problems in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)
Anastasaki, Corina ; Gutmann, David
T-015422

— Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common neurological condition affecting roughly 1 in every 2,500 individuals. NF1 is associated with a host of clinical presentations, including malignant tumors and cognitive defects ranging from attention deficits, mental retardation, and autism. The…

Styryl Heteroaromatic Ring Containing Analogues for Alpha-Synuclein
Kotzbauer, Paul ; Li, Junfeng ; Tu, Zhude "Will" ; Yue, Xuyi
T-014558

Monoclonal Antibodies Against Zika Virus and Purified Zika E Protein
Diamond, Michael ; Fernandez, Estefania ; Fremont, Daved ; Nelson, Christopher ; Platt, Derek ; Zhao, Haiyan
T-016168

— To generate a panel of antibodies against ZIKV, we serially infected Irf3/ mice 30 days apart with ZIKV MR-766 (Uganda, 1947) and ZIKV H/PF/2013 (French Polynesia, 2013). Irf3/ mice were used instead of wild-type (WT) mice, because ZIKV strains are deficient in evading type I interferon-mediated imm…

Measurement of NT-ProBNP in human blood using a monoclonal antibody
Ladenson, Jack ; Landt, Yvonne ; Laterza, Omar
T-004030

— This is a monoclonal antibody specific for NT-Pro BNP and can be used singly in a competitive immunoassay to measure the amount of this analyte in blood samples for the purpose of diagnosis or monitoring of congestive heart failure. In addition, it could be used in a sandwich immunoassay with a mono…

Polyclonal antibody for straining human Cytokeratin 13 (HuCK13)
Ladenson, Jack
T-004395

— Rabbit polyclonal antibodies were generated using two distinct 20-mer synthetic peptides corresponding to the unique C-terminal extension of HuCKI 3 using standard protocols. Final purification used the corresponding peptide immunogen affinity column. Possible uses: histological detection in tumors …

Immunohistochemical diagnosis of human renal chromophobe carcinoma
Crimmins, Dan ; Gaut, Joseph ; Ladenson, Jack
T-011164

— This novel immunohistochemical marker would be a valuable diagnostic aid to the practicing surgical pathologist who is confronted with this particular diagnostic challenge. Companies may license this antibody for clinical testing, or cases may be referred to Washington University for subspecialty c…

Urinary Biomarker of Uropathogen Colonization
Henderson, Jeffrey P. ; Hung, Chia ; Parker, Kaveri
T-011741

— Urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is one of the most common infectious diseases in women. The morbidity and economic impact are enormous, with over $2.5 billion spent annually on treatment. The high rates of recurrence, and the large numbers of women that …

Copy number Aberration Driven Endocrine Response (CADER) gene signature
Ellis, Matthew ; Luo, Jingqin
T-011920

— Identifying patients at risk of relapse while undergoing particular treatment protocols is critically important yet challenging to do in a timely manner. Researchers at Washington University have deveoped a new method to rapidly and accurately determine relapse risk in a human subject afflicted with…

— This invention features cell permeable nano conjugates of shell-cross-linked knedel (SCK) and peptide nucleic acids (PNA) with mRNA targeting sequences for early diagnosis and therapy of cancers.

Managing Diabetes status in diabetic patients
Ravi, V. Nathan
T-005389

— Background: About 422 million people worldwide and over 29 million Americans have diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes is increasing and an important cause of blindness, amputation, kidney failure, and one of the leading causes of premature death. Diabetes is associated with significant costs. In th…

Blood-based prognostic marker for respiratory distress from influenza and other viral infections
Mudd, Philip
T-019387

— Technology Description A team of researchers at Washington University has discovered an easily-measured, blood-based marker that could provide an early indicator to identify patients who will develop very severe disease following a viral infection. This immune cell marker for acute respiratory dis…

Method and Apparatus for Optical Time Reversal by Ultrasonic Encoding in Biological Tissue
An, Woo Jin ; Wang, Lihong
T-010123

— Background: Optical imaging through a highly scattering medium, such as biological tissue, has been stymied by the loss of optical focusing inside such a medium. Current optical imaging techniques, such as optical coherence tomography, image up to approximately one optical transport mean free path…

Cell-based tumor targeting for delivering therapeutic and imaging agents
Azab, Abdel Kareem ; Muz, Barbara
T-018893

— Researchers in Prof. Abdel Kareem Azab’s laboratory have developed a biologically-targeted cellular drug delivery system to precisely target therapeutic or diagnostic agents to a wide range of cancers. Delivering drugs directly to cancer cells and not to healthy cells could improve outcomes by…

Compositions for targeting pathologic cells and tissues
Achilefu, Samuel ; Liang, Kexian ; Shen, Duanwen ; Tang, Rui ; Xu, Baogang
T-015230

— Background: Almost 1.7 million new cancer cases are diagnosed in the US each year. Pancreatic cancer is particularly lethal, with an estimated 38,000 deaths in 2013 alone and a 5-year survival rate of 5%. Despite advances in noninvasive imaging modalities, the current gold standard consisting of …

Tri-heterocyclic ring compounds as alpha-synuclein ligands
Kotzbauer, Paul ; Mach, Robert ; Tu, Zhude "Will" ; Yu, Lihai
T-011942

— A novel series of phenothiazine-derived molecules are useful for detecting Parkinson’s disease using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The molecules bind with high affinity to the alpha- synuclein protein, which forms aggregates in the brain and is associated with the neurodegenerati…

Inflammatory bowel disease biomarkers and therapeutic target
Kaiko, Gerard ; Liu, Ta-Chiang ; Stappenbeck, Thaddeus
T-017071

— Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) has been identified as a specific biomarker that is significantly elevated in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is correlated with disease severity. It could be used to both diagnose the disease (including ulcerative colitis and colonic Croh…

High-throughput blood biomarker test for peripheral atherosclerosis
Semenkovich, Clay ; Zayed, Mohamed
T-017421

— Technology Description Researchers from Mohamed Zayed’s lab at Washington University have developed a blood biomarker test for atherosclerosis more accurate than LDL. Circulating levels of Fatty Acid Synthase (cFAS) in the serum correlate to a high degree to severity of peripheral atheroscle…

Rapid Strep Throat Diagnostic Using Host Gene Expression Analysis
Storch, Gregory ; Yu, Jinsheng
T-019526

— Technology Description Researchers in Prof. Gregory Storch’s laboratory have developed a molecular assay that utilizes the patient/host gene expression pattern to rapidly identify acute group A streptococcus (GAS) infection in patients with pharyngitis (sore throat) to help guide appropriate…

A companion diagnostic to SARM1 inhibitors for neurodegenerative diseases
Bloom, Adam ; DiAntonio, Aaron ; Mao, Xianrong ; Milbrandt, Jeffrey
T-019378

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University, led by Jeffrey Milbrandt, have developed a companion diagnostic for SARM1 inhibitors that detects pathogenic variants of the SARM1 gene. Patients with one of several identified variants of SARM1 would respond well to SARM1 inhibitor thera…

Metabolic biomarkers for accurate, real-time diagnostics and monitoring of C. difficile infection
Crowley, Jan ; Henderson, Jeffrey P. ; Robinson, John
T-019079

— Technology Description Researchers in Prof. Jeffrey Henderson’s laboratory have developed a method of analyzing metabolic biomarkers from fecal samples to more accurately identify C. difficile infection (CDI) and distinguish between symptomatic and asymptomatic colonization. CDI is currently …

Fast, simple, low-cost point-of-care diagnostics for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases
Buchser, William ; Lalli, Matthew ; Milbrandt, Jeffrey ; Mitra, Robi
T-019442

— Technology Description A team of Washington University researchers has developed a low-cost molecular diagnostics kit and reader that could provide rapid, widespread screening and surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 and other infections. This technology utilizes a reverse-transcription loop-mediated isot…

Urine-based metabolomics signature to predict severe COVID-19
Henderson, Jeffrey P. ; Marks, Laura ; Robinson, John
T-019592

— Technology Description A team of researchers has discovered a urinary metabolite pattern occurring early in COVID-19 disease progression that can predict which patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at high risk for respiratory failure or death. This metabolite signature could potentially provide a…

ME1 Deficiency Primes for Ferroptosis
Kremer, Jeff ; Lange, Sara ; Van Tine, Brian
T-016416

— Background: Synovial sarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma that most commonly affects young adults. Like many other cancers, there are currently no targeted chemotherapies for synovial sarcoma. Current treatment often consists of a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The met…

Effective test for active tuberculosis infection
Chandra, Pallavi ; Coullon, Heloise ; Philips, Jennifer
T-019244

— Technology Description Researchers in Jennifer Philips’ lab at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a more sensitive biomarker test for active tuberculosis infection. These biomarkers, found in the sputum and plasma, comprise of cholesterol metabolites that are cooperatively prod…

IP-10 as a blood biomarker of respiratory failure
Mudd, Philip
T-019671

— Technology Description Researchers in Philip Mudd’s lab at Washington University have developed a blood biomarker test that detects impending respiratory failure before existing diagnostics. High levels of the biomarker IP-10 in the blood are correlated with the subsequent development of acu…

High-throughput blood biomarker test for peripheral atherosclerosis
Semenkovich, Clay ; Zayed, Mohamed
T-017421

Metabolic biomarkers for accurate, real-time diagnostics and monitoring of C. difficile infection
Crowley, Jan ; Henderson, Jeffrey P. ; Robinson, John
T-019079

Anti-fungal treatment and companion diagnostic for Crohn’s Disease
Jain, Umang ; Stappenbeck, Thaddeus
T-019293

— Technology Description: Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have identified a new avenue for treatment of non-healing ulcers in patients with Crohn’s disease by targeting Debaryomyces hansenii. While the cause of Crohn’s disease is unknown, the fungus D. hansenii colonize…

Peptides responsible for Type 1 diabetes
Lichti, Cheryl ; Unanue, Emil ; Wan, Xiaoxiao
T-018626

— Technology Description: Researchers in the lab of Emil Unanue at Washington University have discovered a panel of peptides responsible for autoimmune activation in Type 1 diabetes and potentially capable of diagnosing T1D at an early stage. These peptide fragments of insulin are found circulating …

Predictive biomarker for CAR T-associated neurotoxicity
Ances, Beau ; Butt, Omar ; DiPersio, John ; Ghobadi, Armin
T-019528

— Technology Description: Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a biomarker screening assay to predict which patients receiving CAR T cell therapy will experience neurotoxicity. Patients can be screened well in advance of receiving the T cell therapy with a simple serum as…

ELISpot assay to immune phenotype patients
Hotchkiss, Richard ; Mazer, Monty ; Remy, Kenneth ; Turnbull, Isaiah
T-019522

— Technology Description A team of researchers, led by Richard Hotchkiss at Washington University in St. Louis, have developed a version of the ELISpot assay to determine if COVID-19 patients are in a hyper-inflammatory or immunosuppressed state. The results of this assay, which can be performed wit…

Early, specific, blood-based diagnostic for septic arthritis
Luhmann, Scott
T-018905

— Technology Description: Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have identified blood-based cytokine signatures that could be used to specifically detect, distinguish and monitor septic arthritis, synovitis and osteomyelitis. This assay could enable timely, accurate treatment to avoid joi…

Fast, simple, low-cost point-of-care diagnostics for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases
Buchser, William ; Lalli, Matthew ; Milbrandt, Jeffrey ; Mitra, Robi
T-019442

Rapid Strep Throat Diagnostic Using Host Gene Expression Analysis
Storch, Gregory ; Yu, Jinsheng
T-019526

Inflammatory bowel disease biomarkers and therapeutic target
Kaiko, Gerard ; Liu, Ta-Chiang ; Stappenbeck, Thaddeus
T-017071

Rapid, accurate RT-PCR test for enterovirus D68
Storch, Gregory ; Wylie, Kristine ; Wylie, Todd
T-015155

— Technology Description A team of researchers at Washington University designed patented primers for a sensitive, specific, real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assay to quickly detect enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). EV-D68 is an emerging, highly contagious respiratory virus that can cause seve…

Long non-coding RNA as cancer biomarker and drug target
Cabanski, Christopher ; Fields, Ryan ; Maher, Christopher ; Silva-Fisher, Jessica
T-018788

— Technology Description Researchers in Prof. Christopher Maher’s research program (in conjunction with collaborator Ryan Fields) discovered that RAMS11 (RNA Associated with Metastasis 11), a novel long non-coding RNA, (i) promotes metastatic disease, (ii) confers resistance to topoisomerase i…

Prognostic for Lymphoproliferative Disorders
Qavi, Abraham ; Swat, Wojciech
T-019271

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed an improved method to monitor the progression of lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs) and guide treatment decisions. LPDs, including leukemia and lymphoma, are characterized by the abnormal proliferation of blo…

Eye test to diagnose preclinical Alzheimer’s disease
Apte, Rajendra ; Van Stavern, Gregory
T-018518

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a non-invasive screening method using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at the early, preclinical stage. AD is characterized by progressive memory loss, be…

Intestinal biomarker predicts response to treatment for inflammatory bowel disease
Stappenbeck, Thaddeus ; VanDussen, Kelli
T-019186

— Technology Description Researchers in the Stappenbeck lab have discovered an objective histologic biomarker on intestinal cells that can predict a patient’s response to ustekinumab treatment for Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Specifically, the length of microvilli (MV) could pr…

Artificial antibody platform to eliminate cold-chain in label-free plasmonic biosensor detection for diagnostics and research
Abbas, Abdennour ; Kharasch, Evan ; Liu, Keng-Ku ; Morrissey, Jeremiah ; Singamaneni, Srikanth ; Tian, Limei
T-013772

— Technology Description An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Washington University have developed a patented plasmonic nanotransducer system with built-in, highly stable artificial antibodies that can quickly detect and quantify biological molecules. These artificial antibodies can be rapidl…

Liquid biopsy assay for personalized prostate cancer treatment
Chaudhuri, Aadel ; Maher, Christopher ; Pachynski, Russell
T-019287

— Technology Description A team of researchers at Washington University has developed “EnhanceAR-Seq”, a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay that predicts which patients are at high risk for developing resistance to androgen receptor (AR)-directed treatment for metastatic prostate cancer…

Blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease for diagnostics and clinical trials
Cruchaga, Carlos ; Dube, Umber ; Ibanez, Laura
T-019198

— Technology Description: Researchers in Prof. Carlos Cruchaga’s laboratory have identified a sensitive and specific panel of circular RNAs (circRNA) that could be used for diagnosing, screening or monitoring patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The expression of these circRNAs tracks with …

ViroCap: enhanced, efficient virome sequencing with metagenomic capture probes
Storch, Gregory ; Wylie, Kristine ; Wylie, Todd
T-015124

— Technology Description A team of researchers at Washington University developed “ViroCap”, a patented capture probe technique for senistive, comprehensive, in-depth metagenomics analysis vertebrate viruses. This invention could enhance traditional metagenomics shotgun sequencing (MSS) w…

Antibodies to transferrin receptor
Ladenson, Jack ; Porter, Sharon
T-000757

— Analyte: Transferrin Receptor (CD71) Antibody codes: 2B7.4 (4065) and 2F6.3 (4077) Publications:

Plasma oxysterols as biomarkers for Niemann-Pick C disease
Ory, Daniel
T-007594

— Background Niemann-Pick type C is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by accumulation of cholesterol and other lipids in the viscera and central nervous system. For cases caused by mutations in the NPC1 or NPC2 gene, egress of lipids from endosomes or lysosomes are impaired, resulting in clinical symptoms such as abnormal eye movements, hearing loss, cerebellar ataxia, difficulty swallowing, and cognitive impairment. However, patients with Neimann-Pick disease have highly variable clinical presentation and symptom progression, making diagnosis challenging. Technology Summary A panel of oxygenated forms of cholesterol (oxysterols) in plasma that can be used as a diagnostic test for Neimann-Pick type C1 disease. The mass spectrometry-based panel is able to discriminate between subjects with NPC1 and normal control subjects. The oxysterol biomarkers have clinical utility in newborn screening for early diagnosis of NP1C disease, as markers for disease severity, and as biomarkers to aid in evaluation of new therapies for NPC1. Key Advantages High sensitivity Rapid diagnostic for screening infants Patents US 8,497,122 Issued US 9,012,216 Issued Publications Porter et al., 2010 – Cholesterol oxidation products are sensitive and specific blood-based biomarkers for NPC1 disease.

Alpha-synuclein ligands as specific PET imaging probes for Parkinson’s Disease and other disorders
Dhavale, Dhruva ; Kotzbauer, Paul ; Tu, Zhude "Will" ; Yue, Xuyi
T-018038

— Technology Description A team of researchers at Washington University have developed and optimized highly potent PET imaging probes which are specific for the misfolded protein that is the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. This family of molecules was designed based on s…

Cell-based tumor targeting for delivering therapeutic and imaging agents
Azab, Abdel Kareem ; Muz, Barbara
T-018893

Algorithm and alert process for the prediction and prevention in-patient Treatment-related severe hypoglycemia
Tobin, Garry
T-012472

— Technology Description: A hospital-based algorithm and associated software that is able to predict which in-patients on diabetic therapy will develop hypoglycemia. It is able to predict in real time which patients are at risk and alert MDs to start interventions to prevent possible side effects or d…

Ultra-Rare Variant Detection using Next Generation Sequencing
Druley, Todd ; Young, Andrew
T-014312

— Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) allows rapid sequencing of an individual’s entire genome or portions of the genome to identify thousands of genetic variants. Personalized genomic tests based on NGS technologies can be used to predict an individual’s risk of disease or monitor disease pr…

Sulfur-containing compounds targeting on vesicular acetylcholine transporter for cognitive function
Jin, Hongjun ; Liu, Hui ; Luo, Zonghua ; Tu, Zhude "Will"
T-016517

— Background: Dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases manifests as a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities. Deposits of beta-amyloid plaques and tangles of the tau protein are thought to cause the destruction o…

ME1 Deficiency Primes for Ferroptosis
Kremer, Jeff ; Lange, Sara ; Van Tine, Brian
T-016416

Quantify multi-tensor for improved CNS injury diagnosis using diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI)
Song, Sheng-Kwei "Victor" ; Wang, Qing ; Wang, Yong
T-009943

— Background: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has demonstrated sensitivity to detect pathologies in CNS white matter disorders. However, the capability of DTI to detect CNS white matter pathologies is confounded by the coexisting structural (crossing fibers) and pathological (inflammation associated ce…

Tri-heterocyclic ring compounds as alpha-synuclein ligands
Kotzbauer, Paul ; Mach, Robert ; Tu, Zhude "Will" ; Yu, Lihai
T-011942

PET tracer to diagnose kidney disease
Baldelomar, Edwin ; Beeman, Scott ; Bennett, Kevin ; Reichert, David
T-018902

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a PET tracer that may be used to quantify kidney nephron endowment and diagnose kidney disease. Nephrons are the functional units of the kidney responsible for filtering the blood to remove waste. They are form…

PET tracer to diagnose kidney disease
Baldelomar, Edwin ; Beeman, Scott ; Bennett, Kevin ; Reichert, David
T-018902

Nanomaterial to eliminate cold chain by preserving biological reagents and patient samples
Kharasch, Evan ; Morrissey, Jeremiah ; Singamaneni, Srikanth ; Wang, Congzhou

— Technology Description An interdisciplinary team at Washington University has developed low-cost, easy-to-use, nanoparticles that can preserve antibodies, proteins and other biological molecules without refrigeration. This technology employs metal organic frameworks (MOF) that can be used in two w…

Non-invasive Technology Enables Brain Tumor Biopsy Without Surgery
Chen, Hong ; Dunn, Gavin ; Leuthardt, Eric ; Petti, Allegra
T-017113

— Background: The American Brain Tumor Association reports that about 80,000 of the estimated 700,000 Americans that live with a brain tumor have been diagnosed in 2017. The surgery required for a traditional brain tumor biopsy entails making a hole in the skin and skull, placing a needle probe, and r…

Conformationally-flexible benzamide analogs as sigma-2 selective ligands
Mach, Robert ; Rowland, Douglas ; Tu, Zhude "Will" ; Welch, Michael
T-004063

— The sigma-2 (σ2) receptor is an important target for the development of molecular probes in oncology because of its 10-fold higher density in proliferating tumor cells than in quiescent tumor cells, and the observation that σ2 receptor agonists are able to kill tumor cells via apoptotic …

Simple, stable plasmonic biosensors for point-of-care diagnosis of cardiac arrest and other conditions
Kharasch, Evan ; Morrissey, Jeremiah ; Singamaneni, Srikanth ; Tadepalli, Sirimuvva
T-014923

— Technology Description An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Washington University have developed a sensitive, shelf-stable, label-free system for quickly quantifying biomarkers in point-of-care settings (e.g., office, ambulance or battlefield). Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) off…

T-018741 & T-019450 – Computational Improvements of Immunoassays
Brestoff Parker, Jonathan ; Gronowski, Ann ; Zaydman, Mark
T-018741

— T-018741 & T-019450 – Computational Improvements of Immunoassays Technology Description Researchers in Mark Zaydman’s laboratory at Washington University have optimized a new method to improve the analytical measurement range (AMR) in homogeneous turbidimetric immunoassays. The method ut…

MRI and PET nanoparticle imaging agents for kidney disease diagnostics and transplant evaluation
Baldelomar, Edwin ; Bennett, Kevin
T-019017

— Technology Description: Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed targeted, natural nanoparticle imaging agents that may be used to quantify kidney nephron endowment and diagnose renal disease with MRI or PET imaging. Nephrons are the functional units of the kidney responsi…

Nanomaterial to eliminate cold chain by preserving biological reagents and patient samples
Kharasch, Evan ; Morrissey, Jeremiah ; Singamaneni, Srikanth ; Wang, Congzhou
T-017288

Nanomaterial to eliminate cold chain by preserving biological reagents and patient samples
Kharasch, Evan ; Morrissey, Jeremiah ; Singamaneni, Srikanth ; Wang, Congzhou
T-016668

MRI-based multiparametric cardiac strain analysis of myocardial viability
Cupps, Brian ; Pasque, Michael
T-006692

— Background: Assessing left ventricle (LV) cardiac contractile function is a good indicator of overall heart health and is used to determine which patients are good candidates for revascularization surgery. With over 3 million new coronary artery disease patients annually and over 1 million annual re…

Non-invasive Technology Enables Brain Tumor Biopsy Without Surgery
Chen, Hong ; Dunn, Gavin ; Leuthardt, Eric ; Petti, Allegra
T-017113

Conformationally-flexible benzamide analogs as sigma-2 selective ligands
Mach, Robert ; Rowland, Douglas ; Tu, Zhude "Will" ; Welch, Michael
T-004063

Novel human astrovirus sequences for diagnostics and vaccine development for encephalitis and gastroenteritis
Finkbeiner, Stacy ; Virgin, Herbert ; Wang, David ; Zhao, Guoyan
T-009294

— Technology Description A team of researchers at Washington University and the Centers for Disease Control discovered, sequenced and patented a novel human astrovirus that can cause encephalitis and gastroenteritis (non-etiologic diarrhea), offering a path to detection and diagnostics. The virus (…

A Truly Tumor-Specific Epitope Carried by BG-A Antigen for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Xu, Mai
T-016998

— Background: In the US alone, 154,000 new cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) are diagnosed each year. Unfortunately, a third of those patients will die due to diagnosis at late stages – the 5-year survival rate is 11%, compared to 91% for those who are diagnosed with only localized CRC. A colonos…

EMMI- non-invasive imaging method for safe, accurate, robust monitoring of uterine contractions
Cahill, Alison ; Cuculich, Phillip ; Schwartz, Alan ; Wang, Yong
T-015805

— Technology Description Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed an electromyometrial imaging (EMMI) method to non-invasively monitor uterine contractions. During pregnancy, many women experience preterm contractions. Sometimes these contractions progress to pre-term labor a…

EMMI- non-invasive imaging method for safe, accurate, robust monitoring of uterine contractions
Cahill, Alison ; Cuculich, Phillip ; Schwartz, Alan ; Wang, Yong
T-015805

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Office of Technology Management