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  6. Low-Cost, High-Throughput Screening Assay for Compounds Efficacious Against the Fungus Coccidioides, the Causative Agent of Valley Fever

Low-Cost, High-Throughput Screening Assay for Compounds Efficacious Against the Fungus Coccidioides, the Causative Agent of Valley Fever

Description

The aim is to treat Coccidioides-infected subjects (e.g., humans, cats, dogs, and livestock) with an effective amount of pharmaceutical agent. Using microplates, a high-throughput assay can be used to screen the library of pharmacologically active compounds (LOPAC). Fungal agents such as Coccidioides can be used to assess response to pharmaceutically active compounds. Upon determining the potency of the pharmaceuticals, infected subjects can then be treated.

Additional information

Patent number and inventor

10,213,478

David Engelthaler, Elizabeth Driebe, Hongwei Yin, Michael Valentine, Donald Chow, Jolene Bowers, and Paul Keim.

Potential applications

Clinical applications to screen and treat fungal infections.

Benefits and advantages

The high-throughput screening method characterizes pharmaceutically active compounds that have been approved for use in humans, as well as compounds that are novel, or have uncharacterized actions. These pharmaceutical compounds, not traditionally considered antifungals, inhibit the growth of Coccidioides and may be repurposed as a more effective and safer treatment for valley fever.

The assay establishes a pipeline for small molecule testing and determines potential drugs that are effective against fungal agents. The ability to screen thousands of compounds quickly and inexpensively could result in more therapeutic options for patients with fungal infections.

Case number and licensing status

2015-002

This invention is available for licensing.