ASSAY DETECTS, QUANTIFIES VALLEY FEVER

Method of Detecting and Quantifying Coccidioides Species – US Patent No. 9,404,161 B2

Valley Fever is a potentially deadly disease caused by the microscopic fungus Coccidioides, a pathogen that lives in desert soils and typically enters the body through the lungs. Valley Fever is endemic to Phoenix and Tucson, but also is spreading throughout the arid regions of North and South America. An estimated 150,000 Americans are infected annually by Valley Fever, and as many as 500 die each year. This invention is a rapid, genetic-based test that provides physicians and patients with a precise diagnosis, enabling prompt treatment and preventing the disease from worsening. This technology was developed by Regents’ Professor Paul Keim, executive director of NAU’s Pathogen and Microbiome Institute; the patent is jointly owned by TGen and NAU.