I-Corps: System for rapid detection of virus-loaded aerosol

I-Corps：快速检测载病毒气溶胶的系统

• 批准号: 2302151
• 负责人: Domitilla Del Vecchio
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-03-15 至 2023-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2302151&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; System; rapid; detection; virus

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of technology to detect airborne pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, in near real-time and on-site. Timely actions informed by early detection can reduce the spread of infection in a number of settings, such as schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and office buildings, thereby also reducing the costs of healthcare, absenteeism, and loss of productivity. The coronavirus pandemic is an obvious current target for early detection, given the severe consequences of infections among vulnerable populations and the continuous disruption to jobs and children’s education. However, many other airborne pathogens are of interest in similar settings, including common viruses such as the flu, and more rare viruses with severe consequences, such as tuberculosis and varicella. Timely actions that could be taken to reduce the spread of infection include isolation of exposed individuals, use of protective equipment, control of in-room ventilation, and space decontamination. More generally, occupants of spaces may be made aware through a phone app of the pathogen levels detected in areas of interest, so they can make informed decisions about what areas to visit and if masking may be advisable.This I-Corps project is based on the development of an integrated, automated, and portable device for sensing airborne pathogens on-site and in almost real-time. The process proposed consists of an initial collection step, in which virus particles are collected through electrostatic precipitation. Then, there is a detachment and RNA extraction step, followed by an enrichment phase. This technology is realized with a novel method that leverages the natural negative charge of RNA. Finally, the final steps are the chemical detection step and the classification step. The core innovation is not only the integration of the overall process described above, but also, the creation of a fieldable process that obtains highly concentrated target RNA from in-air viral particles. Pathogen detection from the air is substantially more challenging than detection from a patient swab due to the much lower in-air concentrations, those these concentrations can still infect people. The enrichment step is critical to be able to detect relevant in-air pathogen concentrations.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.

I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发近实时和现场检测空气传播病原体（如病毒和细菌）的技术。通过早期发现及时采取行动可以减少感染在学校、医院、疗养院和办公楼等许多环境中的传播，从而减少医疗保健、缺勤和生产力损失的成本。鉴于弱势群体感染的严重后果以及对就业和儿童教育的持续干扰，冠状病毒大流行显然是当前早期发现的目标。然而，在类似的环境中，许多其他空气传播的病原体也引起了人们的兴趣，包括流感等常见病毒，以及具有严重后果的更罕见的病毒，如结核病和水痘。可以采取的减少感染传播的及时行动包括隔离暴露个体、使用防护设备、控制室内通风和空间净化。更一般地说，空间的占用者可以通过手机应用程序了解感兴趣区域检测到的病原体水平，因此他们可以做出明智的决定，访问哪些区域以及是否需要掩蔽。这个I-Corps项目是基于开发一种集成的，自动化的便携式设备，用于现场和几乎实时地感测空气传播的病原体。所提出的方法包括初始收集步骤，其中通过静电沉淀收集病毒颗粒。然后，进行分离和RNA提取步骤，然后是富集阶段。这项技术是通过一种利用RNA天然负电荷的新方法实现的。最后，最终步骤是化学检测步骤和分类步骤。核心创新不仅是上述整个过程的整合，而且还创造了一种可现场操作的过程，从空气中的病毒颗粒中获得高度浓缩的靶RNA。从空气中检测病原体比从患者拭子中检测更具挑战性，因为空气中的浓度要低得多，这些浓度仍然可以感染人。富集步骤对于能够检测相关的空气中病原体浓度至关重要。该奖项反映了NSF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。