Engineering collaboration goes from strength to strength

The ERASED ID grant was awarded by the EPSRC Global Challenges Research Fund

The NIHR Health Protection Research Unit’s (HPRU) collaboration with engineering continues to go from strength to strength with the recently awarded Engineering Rapid and Sensitive Electronic Diagnostic for Infectious Diseases (ERASED ID) grant by the EPSRC Global Challenges Research Fund.

The aim of this study is to create a collaborative network that will combine cutting-edge technology and biology to create a unique capability that will develop quantitative rapid, sample-to-answer tests able to diagnose emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases at the point-of-care (POC).

The research aims to lay the foundations for addressing the global challenge of viral and parasitic infections via the development of integrative and innovative diagnostic technologies compatible with a wide range of healthcare settings for developing countries.

The ERASE ID grant will explore novel alternative technologies for detection, analysis and computation of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and malaria infections

Objectives of the ERASED ID grant:

1. To create a collaborative network aimed at developing novel diagnostics for developing countries.

2. To create a genomic database and customised bioinformatics pipeline for DENV, ZIKV, CHIKV and

Plasmodium.

3. To evaluate a flexible isothermal detection chemistry compatible with CMOS-based lab-on-chip

technology for DENV, ZIKV, CHIKV and Plasmodium identification, as well as identification of genes

conferring antimalarial drug resistance.

4. To validate the technology with clinical samples provided by ODA partnering countries.

5. To develop a capacity for an integrated surveillance network compatible with affordable POC diagnostics

tools.

The ERASE ID grant will enable the team to establish a collaborative international network necessary to develop novel POC diagnostics for developing countries. Collaborators from Imperial College include Professor Chris Toumazou, Professor Alison Holmes, Drs Ceire Costelloe, Pantelis Georgiou, Sophie Yacoub, Jesus Rodriguez Manzano, Jake Baum and Ling-Shan Yu.