Develop a test for chronic wasting disease (CWD) using blood

The University of Minnesota's Office of Sponsored Projects Administration received a $250,000 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025). Awarded on September 30, 2025, with a completion date of September 29, 2026, this one-year agreement funds the development of a blood-based diagnostic assay for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer—a long-sought advancement in animal disease detection.

The project will deliver a viable CWD blood test by integrating three complementary technological advances: nanomaterial surface and shape modifications, magnetic microparticle sample extraction, and the Real Time Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QUIC) assay. The research team will investigate optimal nanoparticle morphology and surface charge characteristics, develop prion extraction protocols using commercially available magnetic nanomaterials and antibody-conjugated alternatives, and validate the final assay using blood samples from test-negative, positive asymptomatic, and positive symptomatic deer. This work directly supports APHIS's mission to protect U.S. agriculture from economically injurious animal diseases by providing a practical diagnostic tool that can be rapidly deployed upon successful completion.

A blood test for CWD has long been desirable but remained elusive. Though CWD positive animals are known to have prions circulating in blood, the concentration is comparatively lower than lymph nodes and nervous tissues, which makes conventional elisa testing ineffective. Unfortunately, blood is also known to inhibit the most sensitive detection methods for prions, seeded amplification assays. In terms of practical implementation, the most promising seeded amplification assay is real time quaking induced conversion (RT-quic) assay. RT-quic is many orders of magnitude more sensitive than elisa but does suffer inhibition by blood. Several independent advances in CWD detection technology have emerged recently: surface- and shape-modified nanomaterials and magnetic microparticle sample extraction. Each of these has independently shown incremental improvements for CWD detection, but when utilized together, they could lead to a viable CWD assay for blood. We therefore propose the development of an assay that utilizes the most impactful contributions of each in a single assay. To develop this assay, we will first investigate the influence of nanoparticle morphology (spheres, rods, sheets, etc.) and surface charge (positive, negative, neutral) on the RT-quic assay generally. Next, we will optimize conditions for extraction of CWD prions from blood using a variety of magnetic nanomaterials. Importantly, we will be utilizing commercially available products so that the assay can be adopted immediately upon dissemination. At the same time, we will develop antibody conjugated magnetic nanoparticles as a possible targeted prion extraction technology. Once we have identified the optimum extraction, nanomaterial, and RT-quic parameters, we will validate the assay using blood samples from conventional test negative, positive asymptomatic, and positive symptomatic deer. From this, we will be able to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the assay. Ultimately, we anticipate several journal articles will result from this project. At least one will detail the precise findings of our work involving nanomaterials and magnetic particle extraction, and another will be a detailed protocol for the CWD blood assay. The latter will be published in an open access journal, ensuring dissemination of our work to any interested party. Many different stakeholder groups will benefit from this work. This includes captive cervid facility owners and operators, state wildlife agencies, and researchers investigating CWD. Ultimately, such a test will reduce costs associated with CWD detection, provide earlier diagnosis for susceptible and exposed animals, and provide agencies with additional options for diagnostic solutions.