Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Arizona State University received a $2.39 million Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded June 5, 2026, with completion targeted for April 30, 2030. The award funds development of Large Volume Scattering Imaging (LVSIM) 2.0 technology and an associated rapid machine-learning-based tuberculosis (TB) phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) system designated LVSIM-TBDST. This innovation addresses critical gaps in current diagnostic capabilities by enabling rapid, label-free, high-throughput assessment of TB drug susceptibility independent of genetic markers, with particular application to new, repurposed, and experimental pre-clinical TB drugs where molecular resistance assays are insufficient due to incomplete knowledge of resistance mechanisms.

The technology development directly supports improved clinical outcomes for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) patients by enabling faster treatment decisions through phenotypic testing that measures bacterial growth dynamics in the presence of antibiotics. Traditional phenotypic DST methods are labor-intensive and culture-based, creating diagnostic delays of weeks; LVSIM-TBDST applies scattering-based optical imaging and advanced deep learning to accelerate susceptibility determination and detect heteroresistance at therapeutic failure thresholds. Work is being performed in Tempe, Arizona under Arizona State University's Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Administration (Orspa), with the parent institutional entity being the Arizona Board of Regents.