UT-Battelle, LLC, acting under its Prime Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the management and operation of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is seeking a commercialization partner for a rapid, portable viral diagnostic for RNA viruses.
RNA viruses represent a significant portion of the high priority pathogens of concern to both human and animal health. The National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases’ (NIAID) prioritized listing of human pathogens includes the RNA Viruses: Hanta viruses, Dengue, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, Hepatitis A and C, West Nile, and a large number of encephalitis viruses.
The USDA prioritized list of infectious animal diseases include four RNA viruses within their top six ranked pathogens; Foot and Mouth Disease Virus, Rift Valley Fever Virus, common swine fever virus, and Japanese encephalitis. Viral outbreaks of these pathogens have significant direct impact on human health or dramatic indirect impact by their disruption of food supplies and related economic considerations.
Rapid diagnostics are critical elements of an effective response to viral outbreaks, but are limited by both available technology and implementation. ORNL researchers have developed a diagnostic for active, acute viral infection using a highly fieldable, and nearly reagentless system protocol whereby signal is dependent on active viral replication within infected cells.
This technology was originally developed using federal funds and selected for further development under the laboratory’s Technology Innovation Program (TIP). TIP supports technology development using royalties from existing technology licenses to accelerate the market readiness of high potential technologies.
License applications will be evaluated based on prospective partners’ ability and commitment to successfully commercialize the technology.
The ORNL Technology Transfer Office will accept licensing applications through August 15, 2015. Please contact Eugene Cochran, ORNL’s Senior Commercialization Manager, 865-576-2830, cochraner@ornl.gov, with any questions and to obtain a license application for this opportunity.