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| Diagnosing chronic sinusitis made more accurate by new test
Chronic sinusitis — an infection of the sinuses that lasts six weeks or more — affects 33 million people in the United States every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Until the advent of a test developed by two LSU researchers, most of these cases were thought to be caused by bacteria, or were considered “allergic sinusitis,” without known cause. Now, because of a test developed by Roger Laine and Jennifer Lo, both of LSU’s Department of Biological Sciences, more than 90 percent of the cases are known to be caused by fungus. Laine and Lo developed a method of identifying the presence of fungus by using a cloned enzyme called chitinase to stain fungal cell walls. “The result of this new method,” Laine said, “is that doctors can now treat the condition directly instead of treating the symptoms.”
In an article published recently in the prestigious peer-reviewed ear, nose, and throat medical journal Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, well-known otolaryngologists Matthew Taylor and Jens Ponikau and their colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, determined that the chitinase staining method is far superior to the standard Grocott methenamine silver stain method for detecting fungus. Laine and Lo’s method detected fungus in all of 54 surgical patients with chronic rhinosinusitis while the silver stain detected fungus in only 76 percent of the patients. In a follow-up article, published in the peer-reviewed journal The Laryngoscope, Ponikau’s group used the method in a severe case of sinusitis and showed how valuable the new method was to patients and their physicians. Laine and Lo developed the chitinase method at LSU and licensed it through the university. Laine founded a biotechnology company called Anomeric, Inc., through which he and Lo developed commercial diagnostic kits for hospitals and clinics to use when testing patients with the new method. Anomeric has manufactured the diagnostic kits and has marketed the new method. The company is housed in the Small-Business Incubator of LSU’s Business and Technology Center. Laine said the biggest challenge the company now faces is spreading
the word about how this new technology can benefit sinus sufferers. Laine plans on developing this new technology in Louisiana. “Our effort is directed toward economic development in Louisiana,” Laine said. “There is a market for this new product, and if we can get the word out, we can help fuel the economic engine in this state.” Laine said the lack of technology-based industry in Louisiana makes it difficult for many scientists and researchers to find jobs in the state. Companies like Anomeric can help, he said. Written by LSU
Office of University Relations
Related Links LSU’s Department of
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