Due to the complex protein structure of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) and their high toxicity, the diagnosis of botulism is extremely difficult. This is partly due to the lack of freely available specific reagents for the detection of serotypes and subtypes for the establishment of standardized diagnostics. The aim of the project was to establish an innovative method for the functional and immunological detection of BoNT from human or veterinary samples.
With the help of BMBF funding, a functional array has been established that allows the rapid and highly sensitive detection of the endopeptidase activity of different BoNTs in multiplex format. The method is suitable for use in routine microbiological clinical laboratories and has the potential to be transferred to other endopeptidases (tetanus toxin, anthrax lethal factor).
Coordinator:
Dr. Brigitte Dorner (Robert Koch Institute, Berlin)
Project partner:
Dr. Rummel (Hannover Medical School)
Prof. Dr. Bigalke (Hannover Medical School)
Funding period: 01.01.2011 - 30. 06. 2012
