New immunodiagnostic methods for human tegumentary leishmaniasis in the last 10 years: Technological prospecting

Lilyana Waleska Nunes Albuquerque; Shakira Cavalcante de Albuquerque Ferreira; Márcio Thomaz Dos Santos Varjão; Amanda Evelyn da Silva; Alysson Wagner Fernandes Duarte; Glauber T Silva; Magna Suzana Alexandre-Moreira; Aline Cavalcanti de Queiroz

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106903

New immunodiagnostic methods for human tegumentary leishmaniasis in the last 10 years: Technological prospecting

Acta Trop. 2023 Jun:242:106903. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106903. Epub 2023 Mar 24.

Authors

Lilyana Waleska Nunes Albuquerque¹, Shakira Cavalcante de Albuquerque Ferreira², Márcio Thomaz Dos Santos Varjão², Amanda Evelyn da Silva³, Alysson Wagner Fernandes Duarte⁴, Glauber T Silva⁵, Magna Suzana Alexandre-Moreira², Aline Cavalcanti de Queiroz⁶

Affiliations

¹ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL / Campus A.C. Simões, Maceió, AL, Brasil; Laboratório de Farmacologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL / Campus A.C. Simões, Maceió, AL, Brasil.
² Laboratório de Farmacologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL / Campus A.C. Simões, Maceió, AL, Brasil.
³ IntacLab - Integrated Acoustofluidics Laboratory Ltda, Maceió, AL, Brasil.
⁴ Laboratório de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Centro de Ciências Médicas e de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL / Campus Arapiraca, Arapiraca, AL, Brasil.
⁵ IntacLab - Integrated Acoustofluidics Laboratory Ltda, Maceió, AL, Brasil; Grupo de Acústica Física, Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL / Campus A. C. Simões, Maceió, AL, Brasil.
⁶ Laboratório de Farmacologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL / Campus A.C. Simões, Maceió, AL, Brasil; Laboratório de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Centro de Ciências Médicas e de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL / Campus Arapiraca, Arapiraca, AL, Brasil. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 36967062
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106903

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease and more than 1 billion people live in endemic areas with the risk of infection worldwide. Although it is an important epidemiological issue, the gold standard method of diagnosis requires invasive sample collection and is accompanied by a high level of sensitivity variation in results. The present study aims to conduct a patent prospection of immunodiagnostic methods for human tegumentary leishmaniasis in the last 10 years, focused on those with high sensitivity and specificity, and simple usability. We searched seven patent databases: The LENS, WIPO, EPO, USPTO, Patent Inspiration, Google patents, and INPI. Eleven patents were found that satisfy our search criteria, with six of them being registered in 2017. Most patents were registered in Brazil. The information obtained here covers the main characteristics of the immunodiagnostic methods evaluated. Moreover, our prospective study reveals the latest biotechnological advancements achieved in the immunodiagnosis of tegumentary leishmaniasis, especially in Brazil, which holds the majority of patents in this subject. However, no patent for immunodiagnostic methods was found in the last three years, which raises concerns about the present and future trends of leishmaniasis diagnosis.

Keywords: Cutaneous leishmaniasis; Immunodiagnosis; Patents; Technological prospecting.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Brazil
Humans
Leishmaniasis* / diagnosis
Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous* / diagnosis
Prospective Studies