# Point-of-care magnetofluidic HCV diagnostic using thermally responsive valves

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK · 2024 · $401,791

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Hepatitis C kills over a million people each year, more than Tuberculosis or HIV. To eradicate the Hepatitis C
epidemic, a dramatic shift in diagnostics methodology is needed. The current paradigm, which relies on lab-
based tests, requires multiple visits with a patient because of the latency between sample collection and result.
This is challenging for at-risk populations and is sometimes impossible in low- and middle-income countries
(LMICs). Moreover, central lab diagnostic technologies are simply not available in some LMICs. To address
this technology gap, we will develop a low-cost, portable, fully automated Sample-To-Answer Test for Hepatitis
C Virus (STAT-HCV). The STAT-HCV, which consists of a disposable cassette, a lateral flow strip, and a low-
cost handheld control unit, is enabled by our invention of Thermally Responsive Alkane Partitions (TRAPs),
pseudo-valves that automate precise sample manipulation steps. This innovation eliminates manual rinses and
the precise addition of reagents. The novel STAT-HCV design uniquely integrates TRAPs to achieve a low-
cost and portable diagnostic that will detect and genotype active Hepatitis C infections in blood collected
directly from patients’ fingertips. Successful outcomes will achieve a low-cost, rapid, portable, and easy-to-use
diagnostic with sensitivity and specificity values that match gold-standard commercial lab-based genomic tests.
This will lead to a new sample-to-answer diagnostic approach that supports eradication of the Hepatitis C
epidemic and that can be broadly applied to point-of-care diagnostics of any bloodborne viral infection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10803461
- **Project number:** 1R01AI176197-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
- **Principal Investigator:** Ian M White
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $401,791
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-03-01 → 2028-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10803461

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10803461, Point-of-care magnetofluidic HCV diagnostic using thermally responsive valves (1R01AI176197-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10803461. Licensed CC0.

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