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

新冠肺炎疫情已经感染了1,000万人，扰乱了全球经济。跟踪疾病的传播对于保护公众健康和评估大流行应对的成功至关重要。新冠肺炎的废水监测是基于测量城市污水中SARS-CoV-2(导致新冠肺炎的病毒)的基因。这些信息告诉我们新冠肺炎是否存在，以及它是如何在社区中传播的。虽然这项技术有希望，但必须解决主要的知识差距，以使这项技术得到广泛应用。这个研究协调网络(RCN)项目的目标是连接全国各地正在研究这一问题的研究人员，以最大限度地发挥发现的潜力。这个RCN将是完全虚拟的，以便在大流行期间能够广泛参与，并允许任何感兴趣的研究小组或个人‘开放’参与。具体活动包括用于传播知识的虚拟会议、讲习班、培训录像和研讨会。数据将保存在一个中央数据储存库中，以便利样本交换和存档。将通过与其他国际废水监测网络和努力相联系，在全球范围内促进交流和知识转让。除了帮助应对新冠肺炎大流行之外，拟议的区域协调中心还将通过学生和博士后培训、数据共享以及研究成果的广泛传播，为国家的科学素养做出贡献。传染性病原体SARS-CoV-2属于冠状病毒家族，是2019年12月在武汉首次发现的呼吸道疾病新冠肺炎的病原体，中国说。自那以后，新冠肺炎已发展成为一场全球性的流行病，导致全球1000万人患病，50万人死亡。疫情的爆发导致了严重的经济影响，这些干预措施包括社会疏远和居家条例，以减缓疾病的传播。应对新冠肺炎的一个重大挑战是，很难衡量新冠肺炎在特定社区中的流行程度。SARS-CoV-2RNA被排在感染者的粪便中，从而提供了在集中式废水收集系统中快速监测冠状病毒存在的机会。因此，废水监测SARS-CoV-2RNA已成为快速评估社区中是否存在新冠肺炎的一种替代方法。然而，尽管这项技术具有有效监测的潜力，但在广泛采用这项技术之前，仍有许多关键的研究问题需要解决。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人员团队将召集为期一年的研究协调网络(RCN)工作，目标是将全国各地研究废水中的SARS-CoV-2的团队联系起来，以弥补这些知识差距。实际上将举行网络活动，以最大限度地提高大流行期间的参与度。具体活动包括由水资源研究基金会主持的虚拟会议、讲习班、培训录像和知识传播研讨会。将通过与其他国际废水监测网络和努力相联系，在全球范围内促进交流和知识转让。该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实践。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.