Kephera -Rapid Testing Tools for Chagas Disease
With support from a National Institutes of Health grant, Kephera is developing a new point-of-care test for Chagas disease. Kephera scientists have identified and are purifying parasite components which promise to yield a highly sensitive and specific test. Together with our academic collaborators in the U.S. and Latin America, we are evaluating the performance of the test as it is developed in our laboratory.
Chagas disease is endemic to large regions of Latin America, where it is transmitted to humans by the triatomid bug. Transmission can also occur through blood transfusion, organ transplant and congenitally. More than 70 million people live at risk, resulting in over 10 million infections.
Chagas disease can be diagnosed through the detection of antibodies to the parasite in a patient’s blood. A variety of antibody tests have been developed, with varying performance. Because the sensitivity as well as the specificity of serologic tests can be compromised by cross-reactive antigens and by genetic diversity among T. cruzi strains, the current diagnostic approach relies on comparing and combining the results of multiple independent tests. The shortcomings of the current generation of tests in sensitivity or specificity point to the need for newer, more accurate tests, which can preferably be carried out outside a laboratory.
Chagas disease, a chronic infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is the most prevalent parasitic disease in the western hemisphere, outranking even malaria. Because the disease can be asymptomatic for a long period of time, often years, most cases are not detected until the chronic stage. In the interim, infected individuals remain – most unknowingly – T. cruzi carriers. Infection can cause severe gastrointestinal and cardiac disease, and cardiomyopathy leading to early death is a major cause of lost productivity. The global economic burden of Chagas disease is estimated at $7-19 billion/year. Consequently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified Chagas disease as a top priority for public health intervention.