I-Corps: Ultra-Fast COVID-19 Sensor

Award ID: 2052574

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project include the deployment of a diagnostic sensor at the COVID-19 pandemic frontlines such as hospitals, clinical laboratories, authorized drive-in labs, airports, and public spaces like supermarkets, schools, and universities, work spaces. The sensor will be used for ultra-fast (less than 1 minute) non-invasive screening of samples to ensure safety. The ultimate goal is a home-based test that minimizes the exposure and transmission of virus to clinical technicians and others at testing locations. This testing ability will identify and isolate carriers of the virus and thereby control the spread of virus. This technology is timely to counter COVID-19; However, it can be extended towards detecting other bacteria and viruses and has shown promise for detecting HIV as well. The versatility of the sensor will be investigated. In general, the innovation may lead to ensuring the healthcare of the population by monitoring the condition of individuals rapidly without causing discomfort. This I-Corps project focuses on a new technology for COVID-19 diagnosis. The ultra-fast COVID-19 (UFC-19) detection sensor is a fast, portable, small size instrument that operates directly with saliva (it does not require special swabs or collection devices) for COVID-19 diagnosis with the ability to sense the presence/absence of the virus SARS-CoV-2 in a sample in less than 1 second. The portability and the speed of results makes this sensor a potentially important diagnostic tool for fast initial screening of samples and continuous monitoring of an individual. The UFC-19 technology is based on the electron transfer reaction between the proteins present in the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the electrode/electrolyte interface. This innovation advances the current understanding of electrochemical sensors for point-of-care applications by utilizing multidisciplinary contributions from electrochemical engineering, virology, and physiology, among others. Through this I-Corps program, the team intends to learn about the proposed market to pave the path for commercializing the sensor. 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.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman