Last Updated: 18/06/2024
Non-invasive prenatal diagnostics – Isolation of circulating trophoblast cells using a malaria protein (NIPCT)
Objectives
The aim of the this project is to expand on the newly developed tool that enables non-invasive fetal diagnosis of malaria early in pregnancy by:
- Preparing a strategic product and business plan.
- Further developing and validating the methodology enabling facile and early non-invasive fetal diagnostic.
Placental biopsies are associated with high risk of miscarriage. Current non-invasive tests are not very precise. The malaria protein VAR2CSA has been evoluationary refined to bind specifically to human placent cells. This causes the syndrom placental malaria in pregnant women. Recombinant VAR2CSA binds with high specificity to syncytiotrophoblasts in the placenta as well as placental cell lines. Using this knowledge the research team has developed a powerful tool which captures circulating trophoblast from a blood sample from pregnant women.
Jan 2020 — Jun 2021
$173,092
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