AuCoin Lab

• Developing diagnostic tests for microbial proteins and carbohydrates.
• Creating high-affinity monoclonal antibodies for pathogen detection.
• Pioneering prototype enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) platforms.
• Recent focus on toxin detection assays.

David AuCoin, Ph.D., chair and professor of microbiology and immunology, specializes in developing rapid diagnostics for infectious diseases. The AuCoin Lab's innovative approaches have led to groundbreaking methods, such as In vivo Microbial Antigen Discovery (InMAD), revolutionizing how antigens are identified during infections. This technique has established diagnostic targets and lead to the development of prototype rapid tests for Burkholderia pseudomallei(melioidosis) and Francisella tularenisis (tularemia).

• David AuCoin, Ph.D.: Principal Investigator
• Marcellene Gates-Hollingsworth: Research Associate IV
• Peter Thorkildson: Staff Research Associate IV
• Sujata Pandit, Ph.D.: Staff Research Assistant Professor
• Vanessa Berner, Ph.D.: Research Scientist

• Developed the innovative InMAD technique to identify bacterial antigens shed during infections, enabling effective diagnostic test creation.
• Prototypes for pathogens including Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis), Francisella tularensis (tularemia) and viruses such as Ebola, Lassa and SARS-CoV-2.
• Toxin detection assays for Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) and ricin.

• Antibody Characterization & LFI Fabrication
• Biacore X100 SPR
• Biodot XYZ3050
• Biodot Guillotine

1. The development of an antibody-based guinea worm diagnostic in canines.
   • Award: GWEP FY23
   • Funding organization: The Carter Center
2. Development of a rapid, point of care diagnostic for syphilis.
   • Award: 1005766-02
   • Funding organization: Arizona Biomedical Research Council