EAGER: COVID-19 Modular Disinfection System based on Ultraviolet Irradiation

高度传染性的微生物和病毒性疾病是对全球健康和经济稳定的重大挑战。除了目前的COVID-19大流行外，疾病控制中心（CDC）还指出，医疗环境之外耐抗生素细菌的增加是一个值得严重关注的问题。防治病毒和细菌感染的一项战略是实施消毒措施。在不同的化学、热和辐照方法中，基于暴露于紫外线（UV-C）光的消毒因其在各种环境中对多种微生物和病毒剂的有效性而受到青睐。然而，UV-C系统分为两类：为小区域应用而设计的昂贵且脆弱的手持系统或用于医疗环境的大型商业系统。目前这两种系统的采购都具有挑战性。这项研究工作将与洛杉矶的USC Keck医院合作，设计、制造和验证一个UV-C系统，该系统可以使用易于采购的组件在家中建造。研究结果将通过设计的在线帖子、播客、已建立的在线会议以及同行评议的期刊进行传播。博士生和本科生将参与合作研究工作。UV-C波长覆盖100nm-280nm，与DNA和RNA的吸收峰（~260nm）直接重叠。在UV-C吸收后，RNA或DNA中的嘧啶转化为嘧啶（6-4）嘧啶光产物和环丁烷嘧啶二聚体。如果二聚体的数量足够高，就会发生转录错误，最终导致细菌或病毒的失活。UV-C被认为是细菌的通用消毒方法，其对病毒的消毒效果与病毒大小无关，而与嘧啶浓度有关。因此，鉴于UV-C作为一种消毒方法的普遍性，设计和验证一个可以由易于获取的组件构建的系统具有重大的社会影响。目前的工作计划利用最近兴起的开源电子产品和商用组件来设计和构建便携式UV-C消毒系统。将探讨两种不同的UV-C来源以及几种不同的外壳设计和控制系统。这项工作包括理论和实验两方面的努力。最终的系统将使用细菌和病毒制剂进行验证，以确保该系统满足医学界和更广泛的社会需求。鉴于当前COVID-19大流行的影响以及社区中耐抗生素细菌的增加，易于构建的消毒系统的设计将在全球范围内产生重大影响。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。

Highly infectious microbial and viral diseases are a major challenge to global health and economic stability. In addition to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) noted that the increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria outside of medical settings was a cause for significant concern. One strategy for combatting viral and bacterial infections is the implementation of disinfection measures. Among the different chemical, thermal, and irradiation methods, disinfection based on exposure to ultraviolet (UV-C) light has gained favor due to its efficacy against a broad range of microbial and viral agents in a variety of environments. However, UV-C systems come in two categories: expensive and weak hand-held systems designed for small area applications or large commercial systems for medical settings. Both systems are currently challenging to procure. This research effort will design, fabricate, and validate a UV-C system in collaboration with USC Keck Hospital in Los Angeles that can be home built from easy-to-procure components. The research findings will be disseminated through online postings of the designs, podcasts, and an established online conference, as well as through peer-reviewed journals. PhD students and undergraduate researchers will be involved in the collaborative research effort.The UV-C wavelength band covers 100nm-280nm, and it directly overlaps with the peak absorption of DNA and RNA (~260nm). Upon UV-C absorption, the pyrimidines in the RNA or DNA are converted to pyrimidine (6–4) pyrimidone photoproducts and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. If the population of dimers is sufficiently high, transcription errors occur, ultimately resulting in inactivation of the bacteria or virus. UV-C is recognized as a universal disinfection method for bacteria, and its effectiveness in viral disinfection is not correlated with virus size, but with pyrimidine concentration. Thus, given the universality of UV-C as a disinfection method, designing and validating a system that can be constructed from easy-to-procure components has significant societal impact. The present work plans to leverage the recent rise of open-source electronics and commercially available components to design and build a portable UV-C disinfection system. Two different sources of UV-C will be explored as well as several different enclosure designs and control systems. This work includes both theoretical and experimental efforts. The final system will be validated using both bacterial and viral agents to ensure that the system meets the needs of the medical community and broader society. Given the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic as well as the increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the community, designs for easy to build disinfection systems will have significant impact globally.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.