Kephera Diagnostics is a startup that aims to address the public health challenges of global infectious diseases with point of care assay technology. We collaborate with a global community of researchers to develop and translate new technologies into accessible products for clinical diagnostics and research applications. Kephera has recently been funded for development of new tests for several infectious diseases of global significance.
Our mission is to promote more effective and more affordable medical treatment through faster, point-of-care diagnosis.
Kephera’s goal is to accelerate the development of rapid, point-of-care tests for emerging infectious diseases to provide the critical diagnostic tools for medical and public health response in real-time, when and where they are most urgently needed. We combine innovative technologies in molecular biology, immunology, chemistry and device engineering to develop novel diagnostics for this purpose.
Emerging infectious diseases are responsible for over one billion cases of illness every year and continue to be the leading cause of death worldwide. Vector-borne diseases in particular, including malaria, dengue, Chagas, leishmania and others are major public health problems with over half of the world’s population at risk according to the World Health Organization. Collectively, these diseases account for an annual global economic burden in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Fast and accurate diagnosis is the key to effective treatment for infectious diseases and to epidemiological monitoring on which intervention programs depend. Diagnosis has traditionally relied on sophisticated laboratory tests, however, which are costly, complex, slow to develop, and not widely available. The unpredictability and speed with which many new infectious diseases emerge and spread makes the traditional approach unworkable – a recent example being the invasion of Zika virus in the western hemisphere in 2015. Consequently, there is a critical need for the rapid development of diagnostics in accessible point-of-care formats that can timely and effectively address the global threat of emerging infectious diseases.
Kephera Diagnostics is a startup that aims to address the public health challenges of global infectious diseases with new point of care assay technology. Our mission is to promote more effective and more affordable medical treatment through faster, point-of-care diagnosis. We collaborate with a global community of researchers to develop and translate new technologies into accessible products for clinical diagnostics and research applications. Kephera operates a licensed CLIA laboratory and has recently been funded for development of new tests for several infectious diseases of global significance. Kephera offers a casual yet dynamic start-up environment with free parking and commuter rail accessibility. Kephera is committed to a diverse workplace.
Join our team of enthusiastic scientists who aim to make a global change in the diagnosis and treatment of emerging infectious diseases.
Kephera seeks well-qualified candidates for a Research Associate position to join our R&D team working to develop and launch infectious disease immunoassays in our CLIA laboratory and as part of our product line. The successful candidate will contribute significantly to the research program and be involved in multiple aspects of the projects from basic research to clinical studies.
Responsibilities will include development and validation of immunoassays for a variety of infectious diseases in point-of-care and laboratory-based formats, documentation for product transfer, and participation in clinical studies for regulatory submission.
Responsibilities will include:
Qualifications:
To apply, please forward your CV with cover letter to Kephera Diagnostics, Attn: HR, 1 Grant St., Framingham, MA 01702 or e-mail hr@kephera.com
Kephera Diagnostics is a startup that aims to address the public health challenges of global infectious diseases with new point of care assay technology. Our mission is to promote more effective and more affordable medical treatment through faster, point-of-care diagnosis. We collaborate with a global community of researchers to develop and translate new technologies into accessible products for clinical diagnostics and research applications. Kephera has recently been funded for development of new tests for several infectious diseases of global significance.
Kephera offers a dynamic start-up environment combining flexibility, challenging work and the opportunity to participate in a new venture aimed at improving global public health. Kephera’s location in downtown Framingham offers free parking and commuter rail accessibility. Kephera is committed to a diverse workplace.
Join our team of enthusiastic scientists who aim to make a global change in the diagnosis and treatment of emerging infectious diseases!
Kephera seeks a motivated, entrepreneurial individual for the position of Quality Assurance Associate, to be responsible for QA for the company’s operations and CLIA laboratory.
The QA associate will be an integral contributor to the development and application of the quality management system, assist in internal audits, schedule QA related events, assist with regulatory affairs documentation and participate in creation and implementation of control procedures.
Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Primary skills and knowledge required include, but are not limited to the following:
Job Type: Full-time. Partial remote work option.
To apply, please forward your CV with cover letter to Kephera Diagnostics, Attn: HR, 1 Grant St., Framingham, MA 01702 or e-mail hr@kephera.com.
At Kephera, we are developing rapid tests for infectious diseases using novel immunochemistry in point-of-care format. Our proprietary assay technology is based on principles of particle interaction combined with a simple device, which together enable rapid detection of specific antibodies or antigens associated with the target pathogen. The broadly enabling technology is applicable to a wide range of disease targets and applications. Kephera’s expertise extends from antigen discovery using microarrays and peptide libraries to assay development, clinical studies and validation. We work with some of the leading academic research institutions in the U.S. and internationally, along with researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Kephera is developing a test for Zika virus infection with support from a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Kephera’s Zika project is based on the identification of Zika-specific and Dengue-specific epitopes within the viral genome, from which an immunoassay will be developed in convenient and cost-effective ELISA format, and ultimately translated to point-of-care format. To this end, we are working in collaboration with medical research institutes in the U.S. and Latin America to analyze the immunological reactivities of patient sera from Zika and Dengue-endemic regions, using a variety of epitope mapping techniques. Epitopes selected based on ability to differentiate viral infections will then be expressed synthetically or as recombinant antigens for assay development.
Zika emerged in 2015 as a major public health threat in the western hemisphere, leading to an urgent need for diagnostic tools for clinical and epidemiological use. Although primary Zika infection is typically accompanied by mild symptoms, the virus has been linked to severe birth defects in infants born to infected mothers, and to potentially fatal neurological conditions including Guillain Barré syndrome.
Zika is transmitted by the same Aedes mosquito species that transmit the related Dengue and Yellow Fever viruses, along with a variety of others such as Chikungunya. As Dengue virus is endemic in much of the tropical world, background immunological reactivity to Dengue tends to confound the serological diagnosis of Zika infection. Accurate diagnosis of Zika infection in the post-viremic or convalescent phase continues to be a significant challenge, calling for the development of tests which are truly specific for this virus.
Zika infection can be detected by molecular assays, but this approach is only useful during the relatively brief viremic phase, typically several weeks or less. After this period, individuals including pregnant women at risk for complications caused by prior infection can only be identified by serologic assays. The close genetic relationship between Zika and other flaviviruses has made serological diagnosis extremely difficult, however, due to cross-reactivities between viral antigens.
With support from a National Institutes of Health grant, Kephera is developing a new point-of-care test for Chagas disease. Kephera scientists have identified and are purifying parasite components which promise to yield a highly sensitive and specific test. Together with our academic collaborators in the U.S. and Latin America, we are evaluating the performance of the test as it is developed in our laboratory.
Chagas disease, a chronic infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is the most prevalent parasitic disease in the western hemisphere, outranking even malaria. Because the disease can be asymptomatic for a long period of time, often years, most cases are not detected until the chronic stage. In the interim, infected individuals remain – most unknowingly – T. cruzi carriers. Infection can cause severe gastrointestinal and cardiac disease, and cardiomyopathy leading to early death is a major cause of lost productivity. The global economic burden of Chagas disease is estimated at $7-19 billion/year. Consequently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified Chagas disease as a top priority for public health intervention.
Chagas disease is endemic to large regions of Latin America, where it is transmitted to humans by the triatomid bug. Transmission can also occur through blood transfusion, organ transplant and congenitally. More than 70 million people live at risk, resulting in over 10 million infections.
Chagas disease can be diagnosed through the detection of antibodies to the parasite in a patient’s blood. A variety of antibody tests have been developed, with varying performance. Because the sensitivity as well as the specificity of serologic tests can be compromised by cross-reactive antigens and by genetic diversity among T. cruzi strains, the current diagnostic approach relies on comparing and combining the results of multiple independent tests. The shortcomings of the current generation of tests in sensitivity or specificity point to the need for newer, more accurate tests, which can preferably be carried out outside a laboratory.
Kephera is developing a new test for Lyme disease, supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Lyme disease has become the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S., with over 300,000 cases per year estimated by epidemiologists. It is a risk throughout large parts of the U.S., northern Europe and Asia. Lyme disease presents a diagnostic challenge due to the overlap in symptoms with other disease conditions. We are collaborating with public health agencies and medical centers that treat Lyme patients to develop a new test based on innovative technology that could improve the accuracy of diagnosis of Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is caused by infection with the spirochetal bacterium Borrelia burgdorferior one of its close relatives, which are transmitted by deer ticks. The bacteria initially spread through the skin, producing the characteristic bull’s eye rash in many patients, and often a flu-like illness. If untreated, the bacteria can disseminate within the body, causing neurological, arthritic, cardiac or other serious and debilitating symptoms. If detected early, antibiotic treatment can be highly effective. However, as the disease progresses, treatment can become more challenging.
Lyme disease is transmitted by deer ticks, which inhabit grassy and woodland areas where deer and mice, their natural hosts, live. Humans are accidental victims. The pinhead-sized deer tick may not be seen or felt, and many people are unaware that they have been infected until symptoms appear.
The circular bull’s eye rash is the hallmark of a Lyme disease infection in its early stages. But the rash is not always seen, and the symptoms that appear later are more non-specific and may resemble other disease conditions. To diagnose such cases, current practice calls for a two-step testing protocol. Patients are tested for antibodies to the Lyme spirochete by a screening test, and results confirmed by immunoblot, a second, more specific test. This approach has been recommended since 1995. However, it has been shown to be relatively insensitive in early stages of Lyme disease, and relies on immunoblot which is a subjective, labor-intensive method of limited availability. Accordingly, there is a growing need for more sensitive and accessible testing methods for Lyme disease. Kephera aims to provide a solution to this need through the new test under development.
