Unmet Medical Need:  Point-of-care monitoring of amino acids is a well-recognized unmet clinical need in inborn errors of amino acid metabolism (e.g. phenylketonuria (PKU)). 

Envisioned Healthcare Product: AminoTest increases the binding affinity of aptamers to small molecules up to 1000-fold, allowing for the detection of molecules that currently cannot be detected by any other point-of-care method. Advanced aptamers enable accurate measurement of amino acids (and other small molecules, such as glucose and select drugs) over desired physiological ranges with high specificity, and can be positioned as a consumer market product to measure BCAA in saliva and urine.  

Stage of Development:  Start-up

Collaborative Research Team:  Milan Stojanovic, PhD and Tilla Worgall, MD

Funding Cycle: 2012-2013