Blood test to detect immune response to Valley fever (Coccidioides)
Official title: Development of Coccidioides Cytokine Release Assay
Funded at Miravista Diagnostics, LLC · NIH-11142519 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new blood test that measures immune signals to tell if someone has had or currently has Valley fever, aimed at people who live in or travel to areas where the fungus is common.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Miravista Diagnostics, LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Indianapolis, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $988,914 |
| NIH project number | 5R44AI152654-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11142519 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people who live in or have traveled to Valley fever endemic areas (for example Arizona or parts of California) with suspected pneumonia or possible prior exposure who could provide a blood sample.
✕Less likely to help
People with severely weakened immune systems may not produce reliable immune signals for this test, and those without any exposure risk in non-endemic areas are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
This project is creating an ex vivo cytokine release blood test that stimulates a person’s white blood cells with Coccidioides-specific antigens and then measures cytokines released into the sample. The approach is similar to blood tests used for tuberculosis but is being adapted for Coccidioides (Valley fever). The test could avoid skin testing and overcome limits of antibody tests that can disappear after infection. Researchers will use blood specimens from people in endemic regions to optimize and validate the assay and compare results to existing diagnostics.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the test could provide a more accurate and convenient way to identify past or current Valley fever infections and improve diagnosis and surveillance.
How similar studies have gone: Blood-based cytokine release assays are already used successfully for tuberculosis, but applying this method to Coccidioides is new and not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
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Miravista Diagnostics, LLC
Indianapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Holbrook, Eric — Miravista Diagnostics, LLC
- Study coordinator: Holbrook, Eric
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.