Modified hepatitis C virus polypeptides are described. The polypeptides include the HCV NS4a domain and modified NS3 domain. The polypeptides retain conformational epitopes. HCV immunoassays including the polypeptides are also described.

The invention principally relates to a method of detecting a disease agent in blood, comprising: (i) creating a sample infra-red spectrum representative of the blood, with one or more spectral components, each having a wavenumber and absorbance value; (ii) providing a reference database of spectral models, each model having one or more database spectral components of a wavenumber and an absorbance value, wherein the database spectral components identify disease agents; (iii) determining whether one or more database spectral components corresponds to one or more sample spectral components; and (iv) compiling a list of corresponding database components identified.

The present disclosure provides detection methods employing HCV core lipid binding domain and DNA binding domain monoclonal antibodies. In certain embodiments, the lipid binding domain monoclonal antibody recognizes an epitope in amino acids 141 to 161 of HCV core protein.

The present invention relates to a method for detecting a virus, and more particularly, to a method for detecting a virus including a lipid bilayer envelope, wherein the method allows a surface antigen, which is a lipid bilayer envelope protein, to be effectively exposed from lipoproteins that mask all or part of the envelope protein, thereby revealing the surface antigen that is masked by the lipoproteins, so that a probe such as an antibody can be used to detect the virus with high sensitivity within a short time.

The invention relates to a method of in-vitro detection of an infection with a hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a biological sample, comprising the simultaneous detection of the HCV capsid protein and of an antibody directed against said capsid protein, said method using, for capturing the anti-capsid antibodies, a peptide comprising an antigenic fragment derived from the truncated HCV capsid. The invention also relates to the peptide for capturing the anti-capsid antibodies and the kits comprising it.

Disclosed herein are recombinant baculoviruses suitable for detecting the presence of arthropod-borne viruses in a biological sample of a test subject. The information derived from the detection may also be used to render a diagnosis on whether the test subject is infected with the arthropod-borne viruses or not, so that proper course of treatment may be assigned to the subject.

The present disclosure provides methods, kits, and compositions for detecting subject anti-HCV antibodies in a sample using NS3 capture peptides. In certain embodiments, at least two NS3 helicase (NS3h) capture peptides and at least two conjugate peptides (e.g., NS3h conjugate peptides) are employed together, which allows for a broad dynamic range of subject antibody detection in a one-step type assay. In other embodiments, methods are provided of detecting NS3-specific subject antibodies without the use of a reducing agent. In some embodiments, NS3-specific subject antibodies are detected with a ‘double shot’ of NS3 conjugate peptide (e.g., conjugate peptide added to a sample both before and after washing).

A microfluidic device for determining whether an analyte is present in a sample is provided. The microfluidic device includes an elongated flow path having a polymeric medium, where the polymeric medium includes a first analyte detection domain having a first immobilized capture member that specifically binds to a first analyte and a second analyte detection domain having a second immobilized capture member that specifically binds to a second analyte. Also provided are methods, systems and kits in which the subject microfluidic devices find use, as well as methods of producing the same.

The application relates to an HCV recombinant antigen and a mutant thereof. The application provides an HCV recombinant antigen, the HCV recombinant antigen including at least 1 NS3 antigen, wherein at least one cysteine of the NS3 antigen in positions 1192-1517 of an HCV amino acid sequence is mutated into G and/or A, and preferably mutated into A. The application further provides a nucleic acid encoding the HCV recombinant antigen, an expression vector including the nucleic acid, a host cell including the expression vector, a conjugate including the HCV recombinant antigen, and a kit including the HCV recombinant antigen.

The present disclosure relates to an HCV recombinant antigen and use of the same. Provided is an HCV recombinant antigen, which includes at least two NS3 antigens, at least one NS4 antigen, and at least one core antigen. Further provided are a nucleic acid encoding the HCV recombinant antigen, an expression vector containing the nucleic acid, a host cell containing the expression vector, a conjugate containing the HCV recombinant antigen, and a kit containing the HCV recombinant antigen, and the like.