Project Grant R44AI068537

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 $788,406 project grant from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), will fund the development of a sensitive, direct reading bioaerosol detection platform to quantify airborne pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. Aerosol Devices Inc. will integrate their gentle condensation-growth capture sampler, which concentrates intact, viable virus particles into a small liquid volume...

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...

Summary of Cooperative Agreement Award Electradx Molecular LLC received a $1.7 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025), awarded February 2, 2026. Under the SOAR (Surveillance and Onsite Avian Influenza Response) initiative, Electradx Molecular will develop and validate a second-generation, point-of-care avian influenza...

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...

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,...

The National Science Foundation (NSF), under its Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), awarded a $429,832 Project Grant to the University of Massachusetts (UMass) to develop a novel method for rapid and sensitive detection of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA. The main objectives of the 5-year project are to: Determine the nanomechanoelectrical transduction principle of nucleic-acid nanostructures tethered to a graphene transistor and oscillating in an electric field. Achieve rapid,...

Federal Grant Award Summary SKM Instruments, LLC received a $797,550 Project Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the Prevention of Disease, Disability, and Death by Infectious Diseases program (CFDA 93.084) to develop an ultra-rapid optical platform for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections. The award, effective September 30, 2025, with a completion date of May 31, 2026, supports research and...

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded Iowa State University a $404,919 cooperative agreement from the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care federal grant program (CFDA 10.025). The overall objective is to adopt Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology as a point-of-care diagnostic for avian influenza in field or resource-limited settings. Iowa State University will evaluate sample extraction and sequencing workflows for field use, develop...

Numentus Technologies Inc. received a $303,685 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation on February 15, 2021 to develop rapid planar PCR technology for COVID-19 testing. The award was made under the NSF's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to support innovation and excellence in engineering research. Through this funding, Numentus will work to advance the development of planar PCR, a technology that enables highly sensitive COVID-19 detection on a single integrated testing...