EAGER: Condensation-based Capture and Quantification of Microdroplet-transmitted Viruses

最近迅速蔓延成为全球大流行的COVID-19疫情表明，迫切需要推进识别建筑环境中空气传播病原体威胁（例如雾化或飞沫携带的病毒）的科学和方法。这一迫切需要的项目有助于技术发展，以便获得遏制疾病在室内传播所需的实时定量信息。这项研究结合了多相流体输送、微流体、生化检测和分子生物学的基本原理，并将它们结合起来，作为设计便携式病毒传感设备的第一步，不仅可以帮助当前的COVID-19大流行，还可以帮助未来爆发的这种和其他空气传播病原体，无论是病毒、细菌还是真菌。这种设备将非常适合在医疗设施、体育场馆、学校、剧院和其他公众聚集场所广泛使用，以监测新型病毒的突然出现、存在和传播，所有这些都对避免感染的传播和疾病的爆发至关重要。此外，这些设备在实时环境监测方面将具有巨大价值，这在经济重新开放后将是必不可少的。这项工作涉及一名研究生和一名渴望成为未来学者的少数族裔博士后。该研究的技术目标是将多相流体流动和颗粒运输方面的专业知识与已建立的DNA扩增和表征程序相结合，最终目标是建立一个便携式，可重构的传感平台，收集空气中自然（湿）状态的病原体，并快速量化它们在建筑环境中的存在。该研究的特点是在控制良好的实验室环境中收集大气冷凝水，随后使用DNA扩增和表征技术，以获得室内空间中空气传播病原体（如SARS-CoV-2或其他病毒）存在和运输特征的定量数据。该方法具有灵活性和可重构性的优点，因为它可以适应任何可以通过空气携带的病毒威胁。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。

The recent COVID-19 outbreak that rapidly spread to become a global pandemic has exposed a critical need for advancing the science and methodology of recognizing airborne pathogen threats (e.g. aerosolized or droplet-carried viruses) in the built environment. This EAGER project contributes to the technological development of the capability to derive real-time quantitative information that is needed to curtail disease spreading indoors. The research incorporates fundamental principles of multiphase fluid transport, microfluidics, biochemical detection and molecular biology, and combines them as a first step towards designing portable, virus-sensing devices for assisting not only in the present COVID-19 pandemic, but also in future outbreaks of this and other airborne pathogens, whether viral, bacterial, or fungal. Such devices would be well-suited for pervasive use in health care facilities, sports arenas, schools, theaters and other places of public gathering, to monitor the sudden appearance, presence and transport of novel viruses, all critical for avoiding spreading of infection and decease outbreaks. Moreover, such devices would be of immense value in real-time environment surveillance, which would be of the essence after the economy re-opens. The work involves a graduate student and a minority postdoc who aspires to be a future academic.The technical objective of the research is to combine expertise in multiphase fluid flow and particle transport with established DNA amplification and characterization procedures, with the ultimate goal a portable, reconfigurable sensing platform that collects airborne pathogens in their natural (wet) state and quickly quantifies their presence in the built environment. The research features atmospheric condensate collection in well-controlled laboratory environments and subsequent DNA amplification and characterization techniques to produce quantitative data on the presence and transport characteristics of airborne pathogens (e.g. SARS-CoV-2 or other viruses) in indoor spaces. The approach has the advantage of being flexible and reconfigurable, in as it can be adapted to any viral threat that can be carried through the air.  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.