Pathogenes Inc.

Dr. Ellison founded Pathogenes, Inc. in 1999 with a mission to develop patent protected technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases.  Pathogenes, Inc. exclusively licensed the technology to develop the SAG1 gene, the topic of her research during her doctoral candidacy from the University of Florida. 

At Pathogenes, Inc. Dr. Ellison has developed tests that can determine the level of antibodies in multiple species and relate the immune response to clinical signs of disease.  She developed an equine model of experimental infection using culture derived merozoites isolated from a clinically ill horse.  She was the first to consistently reproduce clinical EPM and produce infections that resulted in the isolation of the parasite, thereby completing Koch’s postulates for this disease. 

Dr. Ellison has facilitated testing of drugs for several pharmaceutical companies for the treatment of EPM in the horse using the experimental model of EPM, developed diagnostic tests to identify acute and chronic EPM in the horse, assisted researchers investigating the natural immune response to infections, helped identify suppressed immune responses in horses and tested a vaccine for the prevention of EPM in the horse. 

She developed in vitro methods to maintain Eimeria and Cryptosporidium in continuous culture facilitating study of post-vaccination immune responses.

Her current research involves elucidating the cellular immune responses in equine Sarcocystis infections and identifying virulence factors that prevent CNS invasion by some strains. In addition to investigating the host-parasite relationships Dr. Ellison continues to develop novel tissue culture techniques to facilitate in vitro vaccine production for pathogenic protozoa, viral and bacterial pathogens, as well as identify culture derived secondary metabolites for treatment of various pathogens.

If you'd like to know more about our lab, read our Blog, last updated April 24 2011.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Ellison SP., and Lindsay, DS. Decoquinate Combined with Levamisole Reduce the Clinical Signs and Serum SAG 1, 5, 6 Antibodies in Horses with Suspected Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis.  Int J App Res Vet Med 10:1 2012

Ellison, SP., Witonsky, S.  Evidence that antibodies against recombinant SnSAG1 of Sarcocystis neurona merozoites are involved in infection and immunity in Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis.  Ca J Vet Res 2009 July:73(3): 176-183

Ellison SP et al.  Development of an ELISA to detect antibodies to rSAG1 in the horse.  J App Res Vet Med 1:4.  318-327. 2003

Ellison SP et al. Experimental infection of horses with S. neurona merozoites as a model for Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis.  J App Res Vet Med 2:2.  79-89. 2004.

Ellison SP et al.  Early signs of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis J App Res Vet Med 1:4. 272-278. 2003

Ellison SP et al.  In vitro culture and synchronous release of Sarcocystis neurona merozoites from host cells.  Vet Parasitol 95: 251-61. 2001.

Ellison SP et al.  Molecular characterization of a major 29 kDa surface antigen of Sarcocystis neurona.  Int J Parasitol 32: 217-225. 2002.

Yang J., Ellison S., Gogal R., Norton H., Lindsay D D., Andrews R., Ward R., Ward D., Witonsky. Immune response to Sarcocystis neurona infection in naturally infected horses with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. 2006 Jun 15;138(3-4):200-10. Epub 2006 Mar 23.

Witonsky S., Ellison S., Yang J., Gogal R., Norton H., Yasuhiro S., Sriranganathan N., Andrews F., Ward D., Lindsay D.  In vitro suppressed immune response in horses experimentally infected with Sarcocystis neurona J Parasitol. 2008 Mar 12:1.

Spencer JA, Ellison SP et al.  Cell-mediated immune responses in horses with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. J Parasitol. Apr;90(2):428-30. 2004

Spencer JA, Deinnocentes P, Moyana EM, Guarino AJ, Ellison SP,  Bird RC, and Blagburn BL.  Cytokine Gene Expression in Response to SnSAG1 in Horses with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. Research note J. Parasitol 2004

J. B. Dame , T. J. Cutler¹, S. Tanhauser , S. Ellison, E. C. Greiner , R. J. MacKay  Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis: mystery wrapped in enigma.  Parasit Res 86:11.  940-943.  2000