Seraph Scientist publishes research on novel diagnostic methods

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Seraph Scientist publishes research on novel diagnostic methods

Micaela Trexler – Senior Scientist

Micaela Trexler, a senior scientist at Seraph Biosciences, Inc., recently published a research article in the peer-reviewed journal, Plos One, based on her PhD dissertation work. In the article, Micaela discusses the increasing prevalence of rapidly mutating Influenza pathogens and how conventional diagnostic methods such as RT-PCR and genomic sequencing aren’t sufficient to study and characterize the strains. Her findings show that universal capture coatings can be used to immobilize various strains of virus. New diagnostic techniques such as those employing Raman spectroscopy may then provide enhanced molecular information and detection sensitivity. 

COVID-19 Requires a Paradigm Shift in Diagnostics

Micaela’s research is timely considering the emergence of several mutant SARS-CoV-2 strains, including the Brazil variant (P.1), the UK or Kent variant (B.1.1.7), and the South Africa variant (B.1.351).  “The COVID-19 pandemic and emergence of these variants really hasn’t changed my fundamental research findings”, said Trexler, “if anything it emphasizes the importance of the work we’re doing at Seraph”. Seraph’s flagship product, Seraspec® leverages the principles of Raman spectroscopy to detect pathogens in real time and represents the kind of paradigm shift Micaela believes is necessary in viral diagnostics.

Seraph’s Path to Emergency Use Authorization

Over the past few months, Micaela has been actively involved with Seraph’s participation in the National Institute of Health’s RADx initiative. The company hopes to eventually obtain Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA for human use applications relating to SARS-CoV-2 detection through the program. “It’s been really exciting working with the RADx team to ready the Seraspec® platform for Emergency Use Authorization during this crucial time” said Trexler. The team at Seraph congratulates Micaela on the publication and looks forward to her dissertation defense in the coming months.

 

Seraph Biosciences, Inc.
Seraph Biosciences, Inc. (www.seraspec.com) is a Molecular Diagnostics Company dedicated to commercializing Seraspec® – A Proprietary, Fully-Automated, Miniaturized Raman Spectroscopy Platform capable of broad-based pathogen identification (ID) in 3-5 minutes.