Project Grant R43AI136551

Federal Project Grant Award Summary Luna Bioscience, Inc., a woman-owned small business based in Westport, Connecticut, received a $600,870 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded on September 24, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2027. The award supports the development of solid-phase antibody-detection assays for the diagnosis of acute leptospirosis, a...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $550,000 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to develop a rapid, multiplexed diagnostic tool for serological testing of tick-borne diseases (TBDs). This 2-year project seeks to improve blood-based detection of TBDs, including Lyme disease, Babesia, Anaplasma, and relapsing fever, through an innovative point-of-care (POC) serological assay. The goal is...

Federal Project Grant Award Summary L2 Diagnostics LLC received a $293,142 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded September 21, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2027. The grant supports development of a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) in lateral flow assay (LFA) format for detecting Babesia microti infection. The test targets BMGPI12 (BMSA1), a secreted protein...

Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary Prompt Diagnostics, Inc. received a $1.25M Cooperative Agreement from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084), awarded June 15, 2025, with completion targeted for May 31, 2027. The company is developing an automated, multiplexed point-of-care diagnostic platform for rapid detection and quantification of Treponema pallidum infections (syphilis). The solution integrates magnetic...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award to RT Microdx Inc. provides $274,362 to develop a novel molecular diagnostic platform for detecting respiratory diseases like strep throat. The platform aims to provide laboratory-quality accuracy for at-home use by non-healthcare professionals. Key technical objectives include optimizing the sensitivity of the platform's pH-sensitive polymer detection mechanism and ensuring robust performance at...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), will support the development of a novel universal rapid test for HIV diagnosis. IGE Immunodiagnostics & Therapeutics, LLC, a minority-owned small business, will receive $294,948 to adapt their existing HIV ELISA test into a 5th generation antigen/antibody combination rapid test format. The goal is to create a simple, rapid,...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $304,966 to Kompass Diagnostics Inc. aims to develop a portable, cost-effective diagnostic device that can rapidly detect multiple blood-based biomarkers. The key focus is on enabling rapid, quantitative measurement of reproductive hormones to support time-sensitive clinical decisions in fertility treatments. The research objectives include developing an integrated...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award supports the development of a novel device that can rapidly and automatically extract pathogen DNA from whole blood samples to enable faster diagnosis of sepsis. The $274,858 award to New England Hemolytics, Inc., with a project period from September 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025, will fund the testing and optimization of this technology across common sepsis-causing pathogens. The...

Federal Grant Award Summary Kephera Diagnostics LLC received a $470,013 Project Grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), effective September 15, 2025, with a completion date of August 31, 2028. The award supports development of a peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) diagnostic test for sarcoidosis, a systemic inflammatory disease affecting approximately 200,000 patients in the...

This $960,000 National Science Foundation project grant supports the development of a multiplexed plasmon-enhanced lateral flow assay for point-of-care detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antigens. Funded under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), the grantee, Washington University, will design, validate and build a novel diagnostic platform with sensitivity exceeding standard laboratory tests. Key deliverables include an ultrasensitive multiplexed lateral flow assay for simultaneous...