Compositions and Methods for Detecting Nucleic Acids of Epstein-Barr Virus An Automated Test for a Common Virus

This patent describes compositions, methods, and kits for detecting the genetic material of Epstein-Barr virus in a sample, with the steps designed to run on an automated instrument. It comes from Gen-Probe Incorporated, a molecular diagnostics business now part of Hologic.

The Problem

Epstein-Barr virus is one of the most common human viruses; most people carry it for life after an early infection, and it is linked to glandular fever and to certain cancers and post-transplant complications. Detecting it accurately matters in transplant medicine and cancer care, where the amount of virus in the blood can guide treatment. But detecting a specific virus in a clinical sample is demanding: the test must find the virus reliably even at low levels while ignoring the many other organisms present, and it must be reproducible from lab to lab. Manual methods are slow and prone to variation and contamination, so there is a strong need for a sensitive, specific test that a machine can run end to end.

What This Invention Does

The invention provides compositions, methods, and kits that detect Epstein-Barr virus nucleic acids in a sample under test. The viral nucleic acids can be isolated, amplified, and detected with specificity and without interference from non-EBV organisms. In some versions the nucleic acids are isolated from human blood or blood products. Crucially, the isolation, amplification, and detection steps can all be carried out on an automated instrument, so the whole workflow runs with minimal hands-on work. The specificity comes from reagents designed to target EBV sequences precisely, which keeps other microbes from producing false signals. By packaging the chemistry for all three steps and matching it to automated handling, the invention turns EBV detection into a standardised laboratory test rather than a manual, variable procedure.

Key Features

• EBV-specific detection. Reagents target Epstein-Barr virus nucleic acids and avoid interference from non-EBV organisms.
• Full workflow. Isolation, amplification, and detection of the viral nucleic acids are all covered.
• Automation-ready. The steps are designed to run on an automated instrument, reducing hands-on work and variability.
• Works from blood. In some embodiments the nucleic acids are isolated from human blood or blood products.
• Supplied as kits. The chemistry is packaged as compositions and kits for laboratory use.

Who Is Behind It

The applicant is Gen-Probe Incorporated, a molecular diagnostics company known for automated nucleic acid testing systems, now part of the diagnostics company Hologic. The named inventors are Ankur Shah and Jian Yu Fung. This filing is a divisional application from an earlier related Australian application.

Why It Matters

Fast, automated viral testing underpins modern diagnostics, from screening donated blood to monitoring transplant patients. A sensitive, specific EBV assay that runs on an automated platform improves consistency and throughput while lowering the risk of contamination that dogs manual methods. As molecular diagnostics continues to expand, protecting assays like this in Australia supports reliable testing across its clinical laboratories.

Related Concepts

• Epstein-Barr virus – the virus this test is designed to detect.
• Nucleic acid test – the class of test the invention belongs to.
• Nucleic acid amplification – the step that boosts tiny amounts of viral genetic material.
• Molecular diagnostics – the field this automated assay serves.
• Polymerase chain reaction – a widely used amplification method for such tests.

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AU 2026202013 was published in the Australian Official Journal of Patents on 9 April 2026 and is open for public inspection. Patent applications represent inventions that are sought to be protected and do not necessarily reflect commercially available products.