Research and Development efforts on new molecular detection tools for point of care detection of emerging viral diseases led to the development of real time PCR assays, and isothermal amplification assays (RPA/LAMP/HDA) for up to 70 agents infecting humans, livestock and aquaculture species. A mobile suitcase laboratory was developed using real time PCR and real time RPA and successfully deployed in several outbreaks in Africa including the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa 2014 – 2016. Many of the PCR and RPA assays were evaluated in preclinical or phase 1 studies.
Work into developing syndromic panels of detection assays e.g. for respiratory viruses, European arboviruses, haemorrhagic fever viruses and fever of unknown origin included a flow through microarray system, line assays, cytometric bead arrays and a point of care microfluific LabDisc detecting up to 10 parameters.
During the Covid pandemic I joined midge medical GmbH in Berlin (https://www.midgemedical.com/), as Head of Biochemistry Research, kicking off the creation of a consumer grade molecular home test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-RPA, which was successfully CE-IVD registered in May 2022, barely two years after the project started.
Selected Publications on Emerging virus Diagnostics
