NSF Convergence Accelerator Track L: Smartphone Time-Resolved Luminescence Imaging and Detection (STRIDE) for Point-of-Care Diagnostics

护理点（POC）传感器是强大的现场工具，可以足够早地快速诊断传染病以防止快速传播，实时检测食物链中的食源性病原体以确保食物质量并减少食物浪费，区分细胞/组织水平的痕量生物标志物以改变医生进行早期治疗等。在POC传感器开发中，具有先进AI的移动设备辅助POC传感器正在迅速成为开发具有改进分析性能的POC传感器的有吸引力的方法。为了克服目前可用的POC传感器所遇到的挑战，提出团队最近开发的掺锰半导体纳米晶体可以实现时间分辨的发光测量，从而实现高灵敏度，这是一种非常理想的传感器特性。该项目的目标是利用这些纳米晶体和AI实现的智能手机时间分辨发光成像和检测（STRIDE）建立POC平台技术，展示其在各种生物检测中的多功能适用性，并进一步将该技术转化为开发节能，小型化和便携式生化传感应用。该项目将产生多个关键的知识产权，以及一个多样化的，训练有素的，在POC技术的全球竞争力的劳动力。知识产权和劳动力都将促进经济增长，创造新的就业机会，并有助于美国在POC诊断技术方面的领导地位。拟议工作的目标是建立一个市场化的POC平台技术，使用智能手机时间分辨发光成像和检测（STRIDE），由Mn掺杂纳米晶体（NC）和AI实现。通过与学术界、国家实验室、私营部门和商业中心的合作，项目团队寻求（1）进一步了解Mn掺杂纳米碳的物理学并增强其光学特性;（2）构建一种便携式、基于智能手机的、人工智能辅助的时间分辨发光测量（TRLM）仪器，具有低成本和高灵敏度;（3）建立POC平台技术，将基于智能手机和人工智能辅助的新型TRLM仪器与Mn掺杂的NC相结合，专门用于传染性病原体检测，食品质量分析和癌症诊断;（4）制定综合教育和劳动力发展计划;及（5）与学术界/工业界建立广泛联系，以推动团队的新技术，促进科学合作和商业化。该项目将通过使用高度便携，易于使用，低成本的诊断工具来彻底改变POC护理，从而改善健康公平性，这些诊断工具可提供快速结果，改善可及性，并促进传染病，食源性病原体和癌症生物标志物的早期检测。通过该项目培训的劳动力将有助于在尖端技术方面形成多样化的全球胜任劳动力，该项目的教育推广将促进STEM教育的多样性，公平性和包容性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估而被认为值得支持。

Point-of-care (POC) sensors are powerful in-field tools to quickly diagnose infectious disease early enough to prevent rapid spread, detect foodborne pathogens in food-chains in real-time to ensure food quality and reduce food waste, distinguish trace biomarkers in cellular/tissue levels to alter physicians for early treatment, etc. With the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) in POC sensor development, mobile-device-assisted POC sensors with advanced AI are rapidly emerging as an attractive approach to developing POC sensors with improved analytical performance. To overcome challenges encountered by currently available POC sensors, the proposing team recently developed manganese-doped semiconductor nanocrystals can enable time-resolved luminescence measurement that achieves high sensitivity, a highly desirable sensor property. The goal of this project is to establish a POC platform technology using Smartphone Time-Resolved Luminescence Imaging and Detection (STRIDE) enabled by these nanocrystals and AI, demonstrate its versatile applicability in various bio-detections, and further translate this technology to develop energy-efficient, miniaturized, and portable biochemical sensing applications. The project will generate multiple key intellectual properties as well as a diverse, well-trained, and globally competent workforce in POC technology. Both intellectual properties and workforce will facilitate economic growth, create new employment opportunities, and contribute to US leadership in POC diagnostic technologies.The goal of the proposed work is to establish a marketable POC platform technology using Smartphone Time-Resolved Luminescence Imaging and Detection (STRIDE) enabled by Mn-doped nanocrystals (NCs) and AI. Through the collaboration with academia, a national lab, private sectors, and business centers, the project team seeks to (1) further understand the photophysics of Mn-doped NCs and enhance their optical properties; (2) build a portable, smartphone-based, and AI-assisted time-resolved luminescence measurement (TRLM) instrument with low cost and high sensitivity; (3) establish a POC platform technology that integrates the new smartphone-based and AI-assisted TRLM instrument with Mn-doped NCs specifically for infectious pathogen detection, food quality analysis, and cancer diagnosis; (4) develop an integrated education and workforce development plan; and (5) initiate broad connections with academia/industries to advance the team’s novel technology for scientific collaboration and commercialization. The project will improve health equity by revolutionizing POC care with highly portable, easy to use, low cost diagnostic tools that provide rapid results, improve access, and promote early detection of infectious diseases, foodborne pathogens, and cancer biomarkers. The workforce trained through this project will contribute to a diverse, globally competent workforce in cutting-edge technologies, and the educational outreach of this project will promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM education.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.