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Concept

Loke Diagnostics ApS is spanning the gap between basic research and diagnostic products. We are able to develop results obtained by basic research to products ready for marketing. Our experience in basic research is in molecular biology of microorganisms and in synthesis, structure and function of peptides including improvements of current peptide synthesis procedures and synthesis instrumentation. Our know-how have resulted in the development of an ELISA based sero-diagnostic test, pELISA, for determination of Chlamydia trachomatis-specific antibodies in human serum samples. The test is developed in collaboration with Medac, Germany and is marketed by Medac.

Our business concept is contract based research and development, including production of the developed products.

History

Mycoplasma research group started in 1983 with analysis of the heterogeneity of Mycoplasma hominis and molecular biology of M. hominis antigens.

The Chlamydia work was initiated by Svend Birkelund in 1984.

From 1986-88 Gunna Christiansen was head of the Chlamydia Diagnostic laboratory covering C. trachomatis diagnostic of Jylland and Fyn

Since 1986 working in the field of molecular microbiology of Chlamydia

Since 1988 working on developing better diagnostic tools

Loke Diagnostics ApS was founded in 1997 with the purpose to commercialize research results (C. trachomatis serology in collaboration with medac (http://www.medac.de/), Hamburg, Germany, pELISA, sELISA, and cHSP60-IgG-ELISA, hHSP60-IgG-ELISA).

Loke is in the process of developing additional serological tests with medac.

We have studied the structure of Chlamydia pneumoniae's surface. This resulted in the discovery of a new class of antigenic molecules, the Pmps, encoded by a gene family of 21 members with resemblance to the autotransporter family, Type IV secretion system. Patent application: Novel surface exposed proteins from Chlamydia pneumoniae. 23.06. 1997 PCT 19.06. 1998, Svend Birkelund and Gunna Christiansen.

In 1997 we took up proteomics of chlamydiae. We have constructed proteomics maps of C. trachomatis A, D and L2 and of C. pneumoniae VR1310. As a consequence of this work we developed a method to determine secreted candidate proteins: Patent application PA200100581 Method for identification of proteins from intracellular bacteria.

Peptide libraries, molecular recognition

Arne Holm has for a number of years been head of a peptide group at the H.C. Ørsted University, University of Copenhagen and at The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark and head of Research Center for Medical Biotechnology. The peptide group is concerned with synthesis, structure and function of peptides and with improvements of current peptide synthesis procedures and synthesis instrumentation (A. Holm and B.Due Larsen. "Improved solid-phase peptide synthesis and agent for use in such synthesis". PCT Int. Appl. WO 9811125 A1 19 March 1998). The group has developed multiple peptide synthesizers which are used for synthetic work and for combinatorial chemistry.

A new multiple antigenic construction, LPA (ligand presenting assembly) which is unique in providing simultaneous C to N and N to C oriented presentation of antigens of high homogeneity has been developed ("Ligand Presenting Assembly. A Method for C- and N-terminal Antigen Presentation" Holm, A., Jørgensen, R.M., Østergaard, S., and Theisen, M. J. Peptide Res. 56 (2000), 105-113) and patent application (PA 1998 01104).

The immune system is largely controlled by T cells where MHC molecules serve several important functions in the generation of a T cell immune response. New and extremely powerful ways to predict MHC class I specificity (CD8 + cytotoxic T cells) have been developed as "positional scanning combinatorial peptide libraries". This method reduces the resources required for analysis by orders of magnitude and proved generally applicable ("Peptide binding specificity of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I resolved into an array of apparently independent subspecificities: quantitation by peptide libraries and improved prediction of binding "Stryhn,A., Østergaard Pedersen,L., Romme,T., Bisgaard Holm,C., Holm,A., Buus, S. Eur. J. Immunol. 26 (1996) 1911 - 1918).

Patents

Loke Diagnostics ApS has the following patents or patent applications:

  1. Novel surface exposed proteins from Chlamydia pneumoniae. S. Birkelund, G. Christiansen, K. Knudsen, A.F. Madsen and P. Mygind.Patent Application no PA200100581 23.06.1997, PCT 19.06.1998
  2. Method for identification of proteins from intracellular bacteria. A. Shaw and B. Vandahl. Patent Application no PA200100581, 9.4.2000
  3. Improved solid-phase peptide synthesis and agent for use in such synthesis. A. Holm and B.Due Larsen.PCT Int. Appl. WO 9811125 A1 19 March 1998, 72 pp. Patent Application 0971/96. September 9, 1996. (For diagnostic use)
  4. Holm, A., Jørgensen, R.M., Østergaard, S., and Theisen, M. "Ligand Presenting Assembly (LPA) Enabling C- and C- and N-Terminal Presentation".Patent Application no. PA 1998 01104.