EAGER: RCN: Wastewater Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

新冠肺炎疫情已造成1000万人感染，扰乱了全球经济。跟踪该疾病的传播对于保护公众健康和评估大流行应对工作的成功与否至关重要。废水COVID-19监测的基础是测量城市废水中SARS-CoV-2（导致COVID-19的病毒）的基因。这些信息告诉我们是否存在COVID-19以及它如何在社区中传播。虽然这项技术有希望，但必须解决主要的知识差距，以便广泛应用这项技术。这个研究协调网络（RCN）项目的目标是将来自全国各地研究这个问题的研究人员联系起来，以最大限度地提高发现潜力。该RCN将完全虚拟，以便在大流行期间广泛参与，并允许任何感兴趣的研究团体或个人“开放”参与。具体活动包括传播知识的虚拟会议、讲习班、培训录像和研讨会。数据将保存在一个集中的数据存储库中，以方便样本交换和存档。通过与其他国际废水监测网络和努力建立联系，将在全球范围内促进交流和知识转让。除了帮助应对COVID-19大流行之外，拟议的RCN将通过学生和博士后培训、数据共享和广泛传播研究成果，为国家的科学素养做出贡献。传染性病原体SARS-CoV-2是冠状病毒家族的一员，是2019年12月在中国武汉首次发现的呼吸道疾病COVID-19的病原体。自那以后，COVID-19已发展成为全球大流行，在全球造成1000万人患病，50万人死亡。由于采取了社会隔离和居家条例等干预措施，以减缓疾病的传播，疫情造成了严重的经济影响。应对COVID-19的一项重大挑战是难以衡量特定社区的COVID-19流行情况。SARS-CoV-2 RNA从感染者的粪便中脱落，从而为快速监测集中污水收集系统中冠状病毒的存在提供了机会。因此，对废水进行SARS-CoV-2 RNA监测已成为快速评估社区内是否存在COVID-19的替代方法。然而，尽管它具有有效监测的潜力，但在广泛采用该技术之前，仍有许多关键的研究问题有待解决。来自圣母大学、霍华德大学、斯坦福大学和亚利桑那州立大学的研究小组将召集一项为期一年的研究协调网络（RCN）工作，目的是将全国各地研究废水中SARS-CoV-2的团队联系起来，以解决这些知识差距。网络活动将以虚拟方式举行，以最大限度地提高大流行期间的参与度。具体活动包括由水研究基金会推动的虚拟会议、讲习班、培训录象和传播知识的研讨会。通过与其他国际废水监测网络和努力建立联系，将在全球范围内促进交流和知识转让。这一RCN的成功完成将加速知识的转移，从而更快地采用可促进废水监测发展的最佳做法。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected 10 million people and disrupted the global economy. Tracking the spread of the disease is critical to protecting public health and assessing the success of pandemic response. Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 is based on measuring genes from SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in municipal wastewater. This information tells us whether COVID-19 is present and how it is spreading in a community. While this technique holds promise, major knowledge gaps must be addressed to allow widespread application of this technique. The goal of this Research Coordination Network (RCN) project is to connect researchers from across the Nation who are studying this problem to maximize the discovery potential. This RCN will be completely virtual to enable widespread participation during the pandemic and allow for ‘open-door’ participation of any interested research groups or individuals. Specific activities include virtual conferences, workshops, training videos, and seminars for dissemination of knowledge. Data will be maintained in a centralized data repository to facilitate sample exchange and archiving. Exchange and knowledge transfer will be facilitated on a global scale by connecting with other international wastewater surveillance networks and efforts. Beyond aiding in the COVID-19 pandemic response, the proposed RCN will contribute to the scientific literacy of the Nation through student and postdoc training, data sharing, and broad dissemination of research findings. The infectious agent SARS-CoV-2, a member of the Coronavirus family, is the causative agent of COVID-19, a respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019. COVID-19 has since grown into a global pandemic, causing 10M illnesses and 500K deaths globally. The outbreak has led to severe economic impacts resulting from interventions such as social distancing and stay at home ordinances to slow the spread of the disease. A significant challenge in responding to COVID-19 is the difficulty of measuring the prevalence of COVID-19 in a given community. SARS-CoV-2 RNA is shed in the stool of infected individuals, thereby affording the opportunity to rapidly monitor for coronavirus presence in centralized wastewater collection systems. Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA has thus emerged as an alternative for rapid assessment of COVID-19 presence within a community. However, despite its potential for efficient surveillance, there are numerous critical research questions that remain to be addressed before widespread adoption of this technique can occur. The team of investigators from the University of Notre Dame, Howard University, Stanford University, and Arizona State University will convene a one-year Research Coordination Network (RCN) effort with the goal of connecting teams from across the country studying SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater to address these knowledge gaps. Network activities will be held virtually to maximize participation during the pandemic. Specific activities include virtual conferences facilitated by the Water Research Foundation, workshops, training videos, and seminars for dissemination of knowledge. Exchange and knowledge transfer will be facilitated on a global scale by connecting with other international wastewater surveillance networks and efforts. Successful completion of this RCN will accelerate the transfer of knowledge leading to more rapid adoption of best practices that can facilitate the development of wastewater surveillance.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.