A cost-effective and broadly applicable mimetope based diagnostic platform for high-impact pandemics

Purpose and goal:

Aegirbio successfully identified a panel of mimetopes for assay development leveraging our Veritope technology. However, the number of mimetopes needed to accurately assess immunity in a population was beyond what could be represented in a single assay panel. The project shifted to development of an assay detecting spike protein antibodies. Still, due to a shrinking market and difficulties with sensitivity, both partners agree it is pragmatic to conclude the project at this juncture.

Expected results and effects:

This project produced a fuller understanding of COVID serology. Though literature on the topic has increased in recent years, the antibody diversity we encountered when attempting to profiling IgG and IgM was almost totally unknown. Troubleshooting between two teams deepened our expertise with magnetic assay development and emphasized the benefits of redesigning Aegirbio’s Magnia reader for future projects. This information will enable more effective and efficient assay development.

Approach and implementation:

Aegirbios tillvägagångssätt identifierade framgångsrikt mimetopkandidater. Vår tidiga kliniska validering fann större problem med hög antikroppsdiversitet, vilket gjorde det möjligt för oss att pivotera analyser. Aegirbio arbetade med projektpartnern Lionex för att producera en fungerande prototypanalys som detekterar antikroppar mot SARS-CoV-2 spikprotein.

Tyvärr var Lionex ansträngningar för att optimera denna analys inte tillräckliga. Regulatoriska och kliniska nästa steg fastställdes och skulle ha stött framtida utvecklingsstadier på ett korrekt sätt.