Aptagen LLC reported on Thursday the receipt of a two year, USD988,300 SBIR contract to develop an aptamer (chemical antibody) based diagnostic for human carriers of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium (T. solium), from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The company will use the parasitic disease diagnostic to help prevent Neurocysticercosis (NCC), the leading cause of adult onset epilepsy in the developing world. The infection is caused by eating undercooked pork or drinking contaminated water containing T. solium eggs.

According to the company, humans are the primary carriers of T. solium and can unknowingly transmit the Neurocysticercosis infection. Developing an effective field-capable test to identify the taeniasis coproantigen will support the effort to control and eliminate T. solium, reducing the burden of epilepsy.

The grant was reportedly supported by the CDC and the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme under award number 75D30119C06574.