NanoPin Technologies Founder's Study Demonstrates Greater Accuracy in Detecting TB in Infants
Advanced diagnostics designed to mitigate the enduring TB epidemic
Accurate detection platform has applications for COVID-19, HIV, and other infectious diseases
NEW ORLEANS, May 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NanoPin Technologies Inc, a biotechnology company focused on developing advanced diagnostics to improve the lives of millions of individuals affected by infectious diseases worldwide, announced the release of a scientific study conducted by founder Tony Hu, Ph.D. Dr. Hu is a professor and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation at the Tulane University School of Medicine.
Results from this study, published in BMC Medicine on May 18, entitled, Evaluation of a serum-based antigen test for tuberculosis in HIV-exposed infants: A diagnostic accuracy study, indicate that a nanoparticle-based mass spectrometry assay approach previously employed to detect adult tuberculosis (TB), also demonstrates strong TB diagnostic performance when employed to diagnose TB in infants.
More than one million children develop TB every year, almost a quarter of whom die of TB-associated causes. However, these children frequently require invasive procedures to produce diagnostic specimens, which are often not useful for accurate TB diagnosis. This method described by Dr. Hu's group is particularly useful for TB diagnosis in infants and young children, given its ability to diagnose TB using small volume serum samples that can be readily obtained from this population.
Tony Hu, Ph.D., professor and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Biotechnology Innovation at the Tulane University School of Medicine stated, "The need for better methods of detecting TB in children is an important driving factor in our research. We have developed a method that works just as well for young children and infants as it does in adult populations, which has unfortunately not been possible with other tests."
NanoPin CEO Thomas Tombler, Ph.D., said, "This study demonstrates that advanced new diagnostic approaches can address challenging problems associated with infectious disease that are responsible for significant global mortality. Dr. Hu's study indicates that such an approach can have a true impact on the global TB epidemic by improving the diagnosis of the most vulnerable population, young children, who are often not diagnosed with TB and die without receiving treatment. We believe that there should be a strong focus on infectious disease research and diagnostic technologies that serve young children due to the challenges that are unique to this group."
About Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, an infectious bacterial disease, is a leading cause of death worldwide, despite being preventable and often curable. Approximately 10 million people develop "active" TB each year, which can be spread to others as a respiratory infection. According to the World Health Organization, people with active TB can infect up to 5-15 other people through close contact over the course of a year. TB is found all over the world, though the vast majority of TB cases are found in developing countries.
NanoPin Technologies
NanoPin Technologies, an early-stage diagnostic biotechnology company, focuses on improving infectious disease diagnosis and patient care through the development of novel diagnostic platforms that produce rapid and accurate results from patient samples. These versatile platforms address critical needs for current infectious disease epidemics such as TB, the leading cause of death from infectious disease worldwide, HIV, and COVID-19. Founded in 2017, NanoPin is headquartered in New Orleans, La.
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