Development & Commercialization Of An Alternative Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (M.Tb) Diagnostic Device

Student: Rory Dunne, 2014-2015

Sponsor: Prof. Jeffrey Schorey - Biological Sciences, Notre Dame, IN

Typically, the body uses macrophage to ingest and kill pathogens. The causative agent for tuberculosis, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium (M.tb), utilizes this phenomenon to gain entry to alveolar macrophage and thus disrupt the generation of an appropriate adaptive immune response. Growing evidence suggests that a newly discovered class of membrane-enclosed vesicles, termed exosomes, are released by these cells and contain unique pathogen generated biomarkers specific to M. tb. This project aims to develop a technology that can exploit this discovery for its use in the detection of the 2 billion M.tb infections worldwide.