Development of an antigen test for the diagnosis of syphilis

We are still struggling to control a 17-year old outbreak of syphilis in Belgium. Most cases occur in HIV-infected individuals and increasingly involve reinfections. Current diagnostic tests are performing poorly in these circumstances. As a result, we are trying to develop a new diagnostic test that could directly detect Treponema pallidum proteins in the blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with syphilis. This would be a boon to patient management and the control of syphilis. Our project has uncovered 6 promising protein candidates for such a test in the urine of patients with syphilis. In this proposal, we would like to apply for an extra sum of €60 762 to cover the cost of producing monoclonal antibodies that will be used in the construction of a diagnostic assay via the “Stable isotope standards and capture by anti-peptide antibodies (SISCAPA)” technique.