Engineering Light for the Control of Viral Pathogens in the Natural and Built Environment

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Viruses are a challenging category of pathogen to control in water infrastructure, natural water systems, and indoor built environments. However, compared to other types of pathogens, e.g. bacteria, fungi, or protozoa, much less is known about their fate in the environment due to the challenges presented in detecting, characterizing, and culturing these smallest and simplest biological organisms. Deeply emphasized by the coronavirus pandemic, research aiming to understand the fate and persistence of viruses in the environment, and the development of innovative and efficient methods to detect and control their spread has never been more vital. Light energy is highly useful for disinfection - ultraviolet lamps are widely used in water treatment and sunlight is a known biocide. Yet, there is a lack of literature on viral responses to light. The bulk of past studies focused on waterborne non-enveloped pathogens, leaving less known regarding enveloped pathogens, like coronavirus. Sunlight and light from indoor lamps can also be indirectly harnessed for disinfection through the fabrication of tailored photocatalytic nanomaterials, which can passively transform light energy into reactive oxygen species. Light emitting (fluorescent) materials may be ideal for the development of new sensors, as they can provide a near instantaneous response. The long-term vision of this research program is to exploit light to control viral pathogens in the environment. The program will explore this through three themes: (i) viral photoinactivation mechanisms, (ii) passive light driven viral inactivation, and (iii) fluorescence-based viral detection systems. This research program will seek to achieve the following short-term objectives. Objective 1 is to enhance our understanding of viral responses to light by studying the inactivation rate at different wavelengths for surrogate enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. Objective 2 is to develop an enhanced TiO2 based photocatalytic nanomaterial for passive inactivation. Objective 3 is to develop improved sampling methods for the detection of viral genomic material in wastewater. Together, these objectives support the long-term goal of developing light absorbing technologies for the detection and removal of viral pathogens in the environment. In the final years of this grant, a preliminary study to assess the feasibility of developing rapid sensors for the detection of viruses through fluorescence quenching and enhancement by surface bound plasmonic nanoparticles will also be initiated. Understanding light induced inactivation is key to predicting the fate of viral pathogens in the environment, while engineered light-based treatment systems provide opportunities to develop sustainable, practical and effective methods for controlling viral pathogens. This research program will improve fundamental understanding of direct, and nanomaterial mediated, interactions between viruses and light, in both natural and engineered systems.