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EAGER: Collaborative Research: Detection and analysis of airborne coronavirus with bioinspired membranes

EAGER：合作研究：利用仿生膜检测和分析空气中的冠状病毒

基本信息

批准号：
2029371
负责人：
Jessica Schiffman
金额：
$ 7.53万
依托单位：
University of Massachusetts Amherst
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2020-08-01 至 2022-05-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2029371&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
EAGER Collaborative Research Detection analysis

项目摘要

The spread of biological pathogens via aerosolized droplets continues to be of primary concern during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the ability to capture and analyze aerosolized pathogens is critical to understand and mitigate the potential for reoccurring outbreaks of COVID-19 or other novel pathogens. To address this need, an interdisciplinary research team from the University of Maine and the University of Massachusetts Amherst will engineer a bioinspired technology that facilitates the efficient collection of viruses from bioaerosols. The inspiration for the technology is the carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plant, which has a slippery rim and inner walls causing insects to fall and become trapped within its digestive fluid. By engineering a composite material comprised of a liquid layer on the surface of a membrane, the capture and analysis of pathogenic particles will be enabled. The team will optimize the membrane system to work with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak, in aerosolized droplets that mimic those released during talking, coughing, and sneezing. This work will fill a critical gap in current methods of monitoring the spread of disease through fast-tracked research and development of an inexpensive, high-throughput, and widely deployable technology that can be continuously operated at high-risk locations, such as hospitals, elder-care facilities, and travel hubs. Disease-causing agents such as the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that take form as bioaerosols present unique challenges for disease surveillance, containment, and treatment. Previous attempts to design aerosol collection systems for viruses have had limited success due to either the difficulty of retrieving intact virus particles from a solid filter surface or inadequate throughput. This project seeks to address these limitations by adapting a liquid-gated membrane (LGM) system inspired by the Nepenthes pitcher plant. The system adaptation employs a water-immiscible liquid on the surface of the membrane that creates a reusable, reversible liquid trap immobilizing live pathogenic particles within a thin liquid shell at the membrane surface. A model reovirus will be used to develop the LGM system, and capture efficiency will be assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, infectivity assays, and structural assessment before the technology is validated using SARS-CoV-2. The team will explore the development of new intellectual property that would be well-aligned with manufacturing industries of both Maine and Massachusetts, including pulp and paper products.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在当前的COVID-19大流行期间，生物病原体通过雾化液滴传播仍然是主要关注的问题。因此，捕获和分析气溶胶化病原体的能力对于了解和减轻COVID-19或其他新型病原体再次爆发的可能性至关重要。为了满足这一需求，来自缅因州大学和马萨诸塞州阿默斯特大学的一个跨学科研究小组将设计一种生物启发技术，以促进从生物气溶胶中有效收集病毒。这项技术的灵感来自食肉猪笼草，它有一个光滑的边缘和内壁，导致昆虫下降，并被困在它的消化液。通过设计由膜表面上的液体层组成的复合材料，将能够捕获和分析致病颗粒。该团队将优化膜系统，以与SARS-CoV-2（导致COVID-19爆发的病毒）在雾化液滴中工作，这些液滴模仿在说话，咳嗽和打喷嚏时释放的液滴。这项工作将通过快速研究和开发一种廉价、高通量和可广泛部署的技术来填补目前监测疾病传播方法的关键空白，这种技术可以在医院、老年人护理设施和旅行中心等高风险地点持续运行。诸如新型冠状病毒（SARS-CoV-2）等以生物气溶胶形式存在的致病因子对疾病监测、遏制和治疗提出了独特的挑战。先前设计用于病毒的气溶胶收集系统的尝试由于难以从固体过滤器表面回收完整的病毒颗粒或吞吐量不足而具有有限的成功。该项目旨在解决这些局限性，通过调整液门膜（LGM）系统的灵感来自猪笼草猪笼草。该系统适应性采用膜表面上的水不混溶液体，其产生可重复使用的可逆液体捕集器，将活病原体颗粒固定在膜表面处的薄液体壳内。一个呼肠孤病毒模型将用于开发LGM系统，在使用SARS-CoV-2验证该技术之前，将使用逆转录定量聚合酶链反应、感染性测定和结构评估来评估捕获效率。该团队将探索新的知识产权的发展，这将与缅因州和马萨诸塞州的制造业，包括纸浆和纸制品，这反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。