SBIR-STTR Award

New horizons diagnostics (nhd) has several patents for novel rapid and simple ligand-receptor assays. Nhd's goal has been to produce assays simple enough to be performed by unskilled or untrained individuals without any equipment needs. Through the commercial introduction of the direct group a strep smart (sensitivie membrane antigen rapid test), nhd has proven itself to be in the forefront of rapid immuno-diagnostic technology. The group a strep smart can detect as few as 2000 streptocococci from a swab in less than 7 minutes. In clinical evaluation, the smart has proven to be more simple and significantly more sensitive than latex agglutination, elisa-membrne, or liposome-membrane based group a strep assays. The smart procedure uses a swab for sample collection, which is reacted with a metal sol labeled antibody on a membrane, appearing as a pink to purple spot. The smart kit is stores and performed at room temperatures and therefore is capable of being used as a field detector/identification kit. In the phase i program, a prototype rapid and simple assay in the smart format will be provided to detect up to three large molecular weight toxins, using gobernment-furnished reagents.

New Horizons Diagnostics (NHD) has several U.S. patents for novel rapid and simple ligan:receptor assays. NHD's goal has been to produce assays simple enough to be performed by unskilled or untrained individuals in the field. In 1991, NHD provided SMART detection test kits to the U.S. Military for filed testing for the detection of biological agents. Each test required approximately 200 microliters of air sampling fluid and could provide a test result in fifteen minutes. NHD proposes to develop this test system further by providing a multiple analyze test card. The proposed multiple analyze test card will use a single fluid sample and will simultaneously test for the presence of several biological agents. This card will have a sample application area, wherein the liquid sample will diffuse into strips of absorbent paper containing dried metal sol labeled antibody reagents. The reactants will mix and diffuse into a capture area, wherein the reaction could be visualized. In this format, any immunocomplexes formed are capture on a membrane, appearing as a pink to purple spot. The multiple analyze test card will be developed as a single use test with room temperature stability capable of being used as a field detection-identification kit.