Nucleic Acid Amplification Technique for Rapid Diagnostic Analysis

CDC researchers developed a simple target-specific isothermal nucleic acid amplification technique, termed Genome Exponential Amplification Reaction (GEAR). The method employs a set of four primers (two inner and two outer). The outer primer pair targets three specific nucleic acid sequences at a constant 60°C, while the inner pair of primers accelerates and improves the sensitivity of the assay. The GEAR technique is an improvement over loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) in three ways. First, the GEAR method uses two Tab primers which target three genomic regions (corresponding LAMP primers target four regions). Second, the GEAR method features complementary 5' ends between the forward and reverse primers. Third, the GEAR method does not require a second set of outer primers (LAMP requires two outermost primers). Additionally, the GEAR isothermal method can be performed in a relatively inexpensive water bath or heating block, with detection of amplification products by fluorescence, thus making it suitable for low resource settings.

Potential Commercial Applications:		Competitive Advantages:
Rapid diagnostic analysis of biological samples Qualitative and quantitative analysis of nucleic acids Low-cost diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases		Rapid, portable, cost-effective Useful in low resource settings A “single-tube” assay that eliminates need for thermal cyclers or gel electrophoresis Unlike many other isothermal amplification approaches, GEAR can be efficiently performed at temperatures exceeding 60 °C, increasing specificity and accuracy

Development Stage:

• Pre-clinical
• In vitro data available

Related Invention(s):
E-252-2013-0
E-292-2013-0
E-458-2013-0


Inventors:

Jothikumar Narayanan (CDC)  ➽ more inventions...

Vincent Hill (CDC)  ➽ more inventions...

Prithiviraj Jothikumar (CDC)  ➽ more inventions...


Intellectual Property:
U.S. Pat: 9,809,845 issued 2017-11-07
US Application No. 14/419,641

Publications:
Prithiviraj J, et al. PMID 22450319
Jothikumar P, et al. PMID 24424127

Licensing Contact:
Jeremiah Mitzelfelt,
Email: jeremiah.mitzelfelt@nih.gov
Phone: 301-443-8518

OTT Reference No: E-273-2013-0
Updated: Mar 9, 2020