A Cluster of Ocular Syphilis Cases with a Common Sex

Blood Test Might Someday Diagnose Early MS

An early marker of multiple sclerosis could help doctors figure out who will eventually fall prey to the degenerative nerve disease, a new study says.

In one in 10 cases of MS, the body begins producing a distinctive set of antibodies in the blood years before symptoms start appearing, researchers reported April 19 in the journal Nature Medicine.

This antibody pattern was 100% predictive of an MS diagnosis, researchers found. Every patient who carried this set of antibodies went on to develop MS.

Researchers hope these antibodies will someday form the basis of a simple blood test to screen for MS.

"Over the last few decades, there's been a move in the field to treat MS earlier and more aggressively with newer, more potent therapies," said senior researcher Dr. Michael Wilson, a neurologist with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

"A diagnostic result like this makes such early intervention more likely, giving patients hope for a better life," Wilson added in a news release.

MS occurs when the body's own immune system attacks the central nervous system, damaging the protective sheath around nerve fibers called myelin. This disrupts signals to and from the brain, causing a variety of symptoms that impede the senses and impact the ability to move.

An autoimmune disease like MS is believed to result in part from rare immune reactions to common infections, researchers said.

For this study, researchers screened blood samples taken from 250 MS patients collected before and after their diagnosis, and compared them to the blood samples of healthy people.

All of the samples came from U.S. Armed service members, who provide blood samples when they apply to join the military.

It was "a phenomenal cohort of individuals to look at to see how this kind of autoimmunity develops over the course of clinical onset of this disease," said lead researcher Colin Zamecnik, a postdoctoral researcher at UCSF.

The researchers thought they would see a jump in antibodies as the MS patients suffered their first symptoms of the disease.

Instead, they found that 10% of the MS patients had strikingly high levels of autoantibodies—antibodies that can attack the body itself—years before their diagnosis.

The dozen or so autoantibodies flagged by the researchers all stuck to a chemical pattern resembling one found in common viruses. These include Epstein-Barr virus, which infects more than 85% of all people and has been flagged in earlier studies as a potential contributing cause for MS.

Essentially, this 10% of MS patients showed signs of an immune war raging in the brain years before diagnosis, researchers said. These patients also had elevated levels of a protein that gets released as neurons break down.

To confirm their findings, researchers analyzed blood samples from patients in another study involving neurological symptoms. Once again, 10% of the patients diagnosed with MS had the same autoantibody pattern.

"Diagnosis is not always straightforward for MS, because we haven't had disease specific biomarkers," Wilson explained. "We're excited to have anything that can give more diagnostic certainty earlier on, to have a concrete discussion about whether to start treatment for each patient."

It's still not clear what causes MS in the other 90% of patients, but researchers believe they now have a definitive early warning sign that the disease is brewing.

"Imagine if we could diagnose MS before some patients reach the clinic," said senior researcher Dr. Stephen Hauser, director of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. "It enhances our chances of moving from suppression to cure."

More information: Colin R. Zamecnik et al, An autoantibody signature predictive for multiple sclerosis, Nature Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02938-3

The National MS Society has more on multiple sclerosis.

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SCOUT RECEIVES FUNDING FROM CARB-X TO DEVELOP A LOW-COST POINT-OF-CARE AND HOME DIAGNOSTIC FOR GONORRHEA AND CHLAMYDIA

Scout aims to expand access to STI testing by providing affordable, accurate, and convenient STI testing

BOSTON, April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) will award up to US$1 million to diagnostics and health tech company Scout to demonstrate proof-of-concept and feasibility ahead of development of a new point-of-care test – STI Scout. The test will detect and differentiate between Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) and Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct). STI Scout is quick and inexpensive, with a turnaround time of 30 minutes and costs anticipated to be less than half of other options.

Cam Ball, PhD, Scout CTO and Co-Founder

Additionally, STI Scout can use either first void urine or vaginal swabs, and future tests will be able to guide therapy for gonorrhea treatment based on antibiotic susceptibility. STI Scout uses the Scout Hub to run and the Scout Connect mobile app, which provides instructions, tracks results, and eventually will allow patients to connect digitally to a healthcare provider.

Scout is leveraging their patented Loop-de-Loop chemistry, a proven isothermal technology that was validated for highly accurate SARS-CoV-2 detection with Scout's system, which has an FDA Emergency Use Authorization for point-of-care settings and an authorization for use in over-the-counter (OTC) settings pending. The CARB-X award will help Scout expand its test menu to offer simple and efficient point-of-care testing at STI clinics and urgent care centers and as a potential future option, an at-home test for STIs.

Gonorrhea is the second most reported bacterial STI. Approximately 82 million people were infected globally in 2020. Patients with gonorrhea can face serious health effects, including pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. Since patients do not always exhibit symptoms, reported cases may only capture a fraction of the true burden.

Decentralizing testing could greatly benefit patients, as clinics and urgent care centers could have fast, accurate, and affordable tests enabling same-day results which would expedite appropriate treatment. Notably, the low-cost design of the consumables and simple-to-use interface could enable Scout's test to be used globally, expanding access to Ng testing to the lowest levels of the healthcare system in resource-limited settings. With further development, the Scout system tests also could be used at home, which is especially valuable among patient populations that are testing routinely.

"There is a need for affordable, accurate, and easy-to-use tests that expand access to testing for and proper treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to urgent care centers, STI clinics, and the like", said Erin Duffy, PhD, R&D Chief of CARB-X. "Given the prevalence of gonorrhea globally, and the growing prevalence of drug-resistant gonorrhea, to diagnose quickly and affordably would allow physicians at all levels of the healthcare system to treat rapidly with the most appropriate therapy. The impact of a test like Scout's could be vast."

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"Our goal is to improve access to accurate diagnostics for everyone. Scout's approach benefits clinicians and patients by providing timely, accurate results which can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of patients. Importantly, Scout also could assist healthcare providers in determining which treatments are appropriate for the patient and can assist combating the spread of antibiotic resistance bacteria" said Cam Ball, PhD, Scout CTO and Co-Founder.

An estimated 1.27 million people died due to drug-resistant bacterial infections in 2019, a death toll that exceeded HIV/AIDS (864,000) and malaria (643,000) in that same year. CARB-X is building a pipeline of high-value products to prevent, diagnose and treat bacterial infections, including those that have become resistant to antibiotics. CARB-X emphasizes performance characteristics that will allow the broadest use of these products against infections driving the greatest global morbidity and mortality.

When CARB-X was founded in 2016, the early-stage antibiotic pipeline was stalled. Since then, CARB-X has supported 101 R&D projects in 13 countries, and CARB-X product developers have made tremendous progress: 18 projects have advanced into or completed clinical trials; 12 remain active in clinical development, including late-stage clinical trials; and two diagnostic products have reached the market. Additionally, at least nine product developers with active R&D projects already have secured advanced development partnerships which can help support their clinical development after leaving the CARB-X portfolio.

In 2022, CARB-X launched new funding rounds to support R&D projects and fill critical gaps in the antibacterial pipeline. These include oral therapeutics to replace the workhorse antibiotics that are failing; vaccines for neonatal sepsis, which kills 2.5 million infants annually; and oral therapeutics, vaccines and rapid diagnostics for gonorrhea. Scout's diagnostic is the second diagnostic and ninth project to receive a CARB-X award as part of the 2022-2023 funding call. Additional projects are under review, and new product developers will be announced this year. Register for the CARB-X newsletter to learn more about upcoming funding calls that will be announced this year.

CARB-X funding for this research is supported by federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; under agreement number 75A50122C00028, and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the UK Department of Health and Social Care as part of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in HHS, provides support in the form of in-kind services through access to a suite of preclinical services for product development. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of any CARB-X funders.

CARB-X Contact: Marissa Novel, carbxpr@bu.EduScout Contact: Jared Hsu, press@scouthealth.Com

About CARB-XCARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early-stage antibacterial research and development to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X supports innovative therapeutics, preventatives and rapid diagnostics. CARB-X is led by Boston University and funded by a consortium of governments and foundations. CARB-X funds only projects that target drug-resistant bacteria highlighted on the CDC's Antibiotic Resistant Threats list, or the Priority Bacterial Pathogens list published by the WHO, with a priority on those pathogens deemed Serious or Urgent on the CDC list or Critical or High on the WHO list. Https://carb-x.Org/X (formerly Twitter) @CARB_X

About ScoutScout is a US-based health technology and diagnostics company focused on the development of innovative diagnostic solutions for at-home and point-of-care use. The company's platform technology facilitates the rapid development of molecular diagnostic tests that are both accurate and cost-effective. Scout's integrated system includes the Scout Hub, the Scout Connect mobile application, and single-use Scout Test Kits. Currently, Scout's product pipeline targets respiratory health, sexual health, and women's health, among other areas. Previously known as Uh-Oh Labs, Scout received FDA Emergency Use Authorization for its COVID-19 test in clinical settings, with its over-the-counter version presently under FDA review. The company has garnered support and funding from several prestigious institutions, including the NIH's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative, the NIH's Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network (POCTRN), the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X), and Y Combinator. For additional information, visit scouthealth.Com or follow Scout on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @tryoutscout

About BARDA and NIAIDThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) leads the nation's medical and public health preparedness for, response to and recovery from disaster and other public health emergencies. Within ASPR, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) invests in innovation, advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures – vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products – needed to combat health security threats and is one of the leading public sector funders of advanced development of antimicrobial therapeutics and diagnostics.

As part of HHS, NIH is the primary U.S. Federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. NIAID conducts and supports research — at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide — to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About Wellcome Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we're taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.

About the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)Education and research are crucial foundations for our future. Thus, the promotion of education, science and research is a policy priority of the German Federal Government. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) strengthens education at all stages of life and provides support for scientific research and innovation.

About the Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF)The Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) is a One Health UK aid fund that supports research and development around the world to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans, animals and the environment for the benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). GAMRIF core objectives are to develop innovative One Health solutions to tackle AMR; increase availability of context-specific, accessible, and affordable innovations for LMICs; establish international research partnerships with industry, academia, and governments; and collaborate with and leverage additional funding from other global donors.

About the Public Health Agency of CanadaThe Public Health Agency of Canada is an agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disease control and prevention. Created in 2004 with a mission to promote and protect the health of Canadians through leadership, partnership, innovation and action in public health, the Agency's activities focus on preventing disease and injuries, responding to public health threats, promoting good physical and mental health, and providing information to support informed decision making. The Agency has a long history of working with domestic and international partners on combatting health threats, including AMR. Most recently, the Agency released the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on AMR, a multijurisdictional effort that emphasizes One Health collaboration to make progress on AMR.

About the Novo Nordisk FoundationEstablished in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people's health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Foundation's mission is to progress research and innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions to support a green transformation of society.Www.Novonordiskfonden.Dk/en

About Boston University Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With nearly 37,000 students, it is the third-largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges and the interdisciplinary Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University's research and teaching mission. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 71 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. For further information, please contact Kim Miragliuolo at kmira@bu.Edu. www.Bu.Edu

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Syphilis Cases In Colorado Are Exploding. The State Just Issued A Public Health Order To Try To Stop That.

Syphilis is among the most brutal diseases known to humans, but it is also among the sneakiest.

Dr. Michelle Barron, an infectious disease expert with UCHealth, calls it "the great masquerader." Early symptoms in adults are often painless, temporary and easy to miss. After that, the disease can lie silent in the body for years until it makes itself known.

And Colorado, like other states across the country, is now dealing with the devastating impacts that can occur when syphilis goes undetected and untreated.

Since 2018, syphilis cases in the state have more than tripled, to 3,266 last year from 1,084 in 2018. Those 2018 numbers were already a significant jump from previous years.

What is especially brutal is that syphilis, a bacterial disease primarily transmitted through sex, can be spread in utero from moms to babies. Colorado saw 50 such cases of congenital syphilis last year, up from seven in 2018. There have been 25 congenital cases reported this year, putting the state on track to potentially reach 100 cases before year end.

"This is easily treated," Gov. Jared Polis said at a news conference Thursday, "but it can be very harmful and deadly for babies."

Of the 25 cases of congenital syphilis so far this year, five resulted in stillbirths or miscarriages and two ended in death shortly after birth.

To combat this rise in syphilis cases among infants, the state Health Department on Thursday issued a public health order requiring medical providers to step up testing for syphilis infections in people who are pregnant.

State law already requires that licensed medical professionals test for syphilis during the first trimester of pregnancy. The public health order expands that to require testing be offered also during the third trimester and at the time of delivery. It must also be offered when there is a fetal death after 20 weeks of gestation.

"Pregnant people have to be offered the test, they do not have to take it," Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said Thursday.

The public health order goes into effect April 25.

The stages of syphilis

Syphilis is a multistage disease that most often first appears in adults as a painless sore in the location where the infection first entered the body. That heals, though, and then the disease lies dormant for a few weeks until a fever or rash appears. The immune system can also beat that back, leading to what is known as latent syphilis.

Some people can then have a third phase, when the disease roars back in attacks that can affect eyesight, hearing, muscle movement and cognitive ability.

Syphilis is treated through common antibiotics.

"The good news here is that syphilis is curable and treatment will save lives," Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist, said.

Syphilis is treated with multiple penicillin injections over the course of about three weeks. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

The state's public health efforts focus especially on populations currently with higher rates of disease — those who are homeless, who are incarcerated or who use injection drugs. The public health order requires syphilis testing be performed at correctional facilities and also when a patient who is pregnant shows up at an urgent care or emergency room during the first or third trimesters.

The state has also expanded a pilot program originally started in Pueblo County that provided expanded testing to people incarcerated at the county jail. Sheriff David Lucero said the program has screened 634 people for syphilis, with 182 — more than a quarter — testing positive. Of those, seven were pregnant.

"Without a doubt, this program saves lives," he said.

Focus on testing

Herlihy said the reasons that syphilis is increasing, both in Colorado and nationwide, are unclear. It is also not entirely certain why there are higher rates of syphilis in incarcerated or homeless populations.

"The association here probably has to do with access to prenatal care and complicating factors in individuals' lives that are leading to them not receiving prenatal care," Herlihy said.

This is an important point because it shows that there is no reason for syphilis to remain disproportionately within those populations. Barron, the UCHealth doctor, said she has seen patients who are positive for syphilis and surprised by the diagnosis. They did not think they were at risk and had not noticed any symptoms.

"Anyone who is engaging in unprotected sex could transmit this and not be aware of it," she said.

For people with health insurance, syphilis testing is covered without a copay, and people on Medicaid also can be tested at no out-of-pocket cost.

Barron said wider testing is the key to controlling Colorado's skyrocketing infection numbers.

"The goal is to prevent these long-term complications that can be terrible," she said, "also ensure that we can help prevent transmission by treating these individuals proactively."

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

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