The overarching goal of the partnership between NIH and the University of Washington (UW) Entrepreneurial Center for Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (referred to as WE-REACH) is to facilitate and accelerate the transformation of health research innovations into products. This NIH funded WE-REACH Center is a National Center of REACH in the Northwest region. Two key objectives of the Center are to (1) assist investigators with innovative technologies to establish proof-of-product concept definition (2) facilitating the formation of spinout companies on track to a self-sustaining structure. With well-established expertise, know-how and infrastructure to assist the Research and Development of the following two Covid-19 technical- ready Covid-19 research and develop projects intended to verify proof-of-product concepts with working prototype. (1) Aptamer-based highly sensitive biosensors for salivary COVID-19 antigen detection (Pun) (2) Broad-spectrum detection of VOC and non-VOC biomarkers from patient exhalant using biomimetic multiplexed eNose biosensor for COVID-19 diagnosis (Saikaya) The two technically sound approaches employ by the point-of-care device candidates intend to detect viral antigen in saliva and exhalant biomarker signatures from infected subjects without having to send sample to a centralized facility or a long wait-time for results. WE-REACH will assist the investigators in developing milestone-driven, stage-gated, activity-based project planning and tracking to accelerate proof-of-product concept studies within 2-year of funding. The study results will provide measurable outcomes that are deemed sufficient for upscaling and appropriate for follow-on funding.
This supplement is intend to support and assist two investigators with technical-ready innovative Covid-19 test in accelerating product research and development plan so that portable, easy to use devices and reagents will be available for implementation outside of hospital and clinical laboratories and accessible in the community to readily identify infected individuals locally and at the point-of-contact (in minutes, instead of days). Availability of such easy-to-use tests with rapid turn-around time could prevent spread of Covid-19 world- wide.
