# Microchip for HBV testing using HIV-infected blood samples

> **NIH NIH R01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $506,768

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
It is estimated that more than 240 million people are living with HBV infection and more than 36 million people
with HIV infection worldwide, of which up to 60% of HBV-infected and 30% of HIV-infected individuals are
unaware of their infection status. HBV coinfcetion in HIV-infected patients is linked to increased risk of cirrhosis
and Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), higher rate of chronicity and occult HBV, and higher rate of liver-related
morbidity. Accurate and timely knowledge of HBV/HIV coinfection status is essential to select the optimal ART
regimen and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) as well as treatment monitoring to identify if treatment switch
is required. Previous studies showed that simultaneous detection of HIV and HBV using on-site POC tests can
significantly improve the screening process and linkage to care for individuals at high risk for chronic viral
infections. In addition, the undiagnosed, untreated, infected individuals can play a significant role in infection
transmission to others. If untreated, the infection can lead to advanced stages, which increases the risk of
mortality. The lack of appropriate diagnostic tools especially for people at high risk of infection is one of the
reasons for the infection unawareness. The development of point-of-care (POC) multiplexed diagnostics is
crucial in expanding hepatitis testing and disease management services for individuals with HIV/HBV co-
infection in a timely manner. Viral load testing is the most accurate and preferred approach for HIV and HBV
detection and treatment monitoring. Nucleic acid-based assays are currently used for viral load testing for
disease diagnosis and treatment efficacy monitoring, however, these assays are still relatively expensive,
laboratory-based, and technically complex. Multiplexing HIV/HBV using nucleic acid-based methods is also
challenging due to simultaneous detection of RNA (HIV) and DNA (HBV) target molecules. Furthermore,
current POC rapid tests (dipsticks) target antibodies/antigens against HIV/HBV generated after infection,
cannot detect treatment failure and acute infection, and have low sensitivity/specificity. Thus, to increase
access to HIV/HBV care with regular treatment monitoring and to improve treatment outcomes, there is an
urgent need for inexpensive, rapid, sensitive, and specific HIV/HBV viral load testing tools at the POC. The
main goal of this highly interdisciplinary project is developing a portable nanotechnology-empowered
cellphone-based system for rapid (<30 minutes) multiplexing HIV/HBV in fingerprick volume (<100 µL) of whole
blood placed on an inexpensive (<$2), disposable, and mass-producible microfluidic device. In our proposed
method, (i) target viruses are captured on-chip using highly specific envelope antibodies, (ii) captured viruses
are labeled with Pt nanoparticles conjugated with respective antibodies, (iii) Pt-labeled captured viruses
generate bubbles through gas formation of Pt nanoparticle...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9828068
- **Project number:** 5R01AI138800-02
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Hadi Shafiee
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $506,768
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-12-01 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9828068

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9828068, Microchip for HBV testing using HIV-infected blood samples (5R01AI138800-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9828068. Licensed CC0.

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