NSF-BSF: DREAM Sentinels: Detecting emerging flaviviruses using cross reactive antibodies

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $420,625 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Rapid paper diagnostics are convenient for testing whether a patient is infected by a disease. A biological fluid, like blood or saliva, is added to the paper, which then absorbs it and carries it to the test. Two red lines means the result is positive. However, these tests cannot detect whether the patient has been infected with a new emerging disease. This project will discover whether these rapid tests can be adapted for new diseases. A new test will use nanoparticles of different colors and antibodies that bind to many different disease targets. This will create multicolored patterns that will be read using pattern recognition. To test this principle, a test will be created for flaviviruses, a family of viruses spread by mosquitos, ticks, and other vectors. Then, the performance of the rest will be verified using samples from patients infected with these viruses. The project will engage and train students who are new to research. Traditional paper immunoassays have proven to be powerful tools given that they can rapidly diagnose a patient within minutes. These rely on antibodies specific to a given target biomarker, which are immobilized onto a paper substrate and also linked to gold nanoparticles that produce a strong visual signal. One of the biggest challenges in infectious disease control is easy detection of unknown diseases when they first emerge, especially in a fieldable format. This project will investigate a route to make adaptive diagnostics with the power

Key facts

NSF award ID
2503883
Awardee
University of Massachusetts Boston (MA)
SAM.gov UEI
CGCDJ24JJLZ1
PI
Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
SENSORS AND SENSING SYSTEMS, Sensor Technology
Estimated total
$420,625
Funds obligated
$420,625
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2028