Tenofovir Detection Assay for HIV Treatment and Prevention

Tenofovir is an antiretroviral drug used to treat and prevent HIV infection, which affects almost 40 million people worldwide and does not have a proven cure. While the drug is effective, patients must be 95% adherent to a strict dosing schedule to obtain full benefits. Unfortunately, it is difficult to discern whether patients are fully compliant in treatment due to the inaccessibility of current, expensive monitoring techniques. Furthermore, indirect methods such as pill counting and self-reporting have been highly inaccurate, leaving patients and their partners at risk for disease progression and exposure. This invention encompasses a test strip that can measure the presence of tenofovir in a urine sample and allow for direct drug monitoring in patients, especially those living in resource-challenged areas. Unlike HPLC and other traditional testing instruments, the antibody and lateral flow strip combination allows for faster, cheaper, and more versatile testing. Due to its user-friendly design, both healthcare providers and patients will be able to monitor treatment adherence in the clinic, giving them the ability to better dictate overall prognosis. Furthermore, as tenofovir is also used to treat other chronic diseases such as hepatitis b, the antibody used here can be used in other testing kits or for research purposes. Frances Forrester fmf@bu.edu (617) 358-6911