GenEndeavor Awarded Second Phase of Prestigious NIH Grant for Development of a Rapid Airborne SARS-CoV-2 Air Monitoring System
Hayward, CA, Oct. 18, 2023 — In a critical step to improving global healthcare, GenEndeavor secured Phase 2 of the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award. This grant supports GenEndeavor’s mission to swiftly and effectively detect airborne pathogens.
This recognition underscores our groundbreaking work in the field of molecular diagnostics and unwavering commitment to advancing and transforming healthcare solutions.
Empowering Swift and Precise Detection
The NIH Director’s Grant will be instrumental in furthering the development of GenEndeavor's innovative hand-held air monitoring system for the detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in real-time. As we navigate the post-pandemic era, rapid testing for airborne viruses like SARS-CoV-2 remains paramount to promptly reduce the risk of exposure of individuals to infectious pathogens in the air - preventing widespread viral outbreaks, and protecting the health and well-being of communities.
The heart of this solution is GenEndeavor's assay technology platform, designed to detect a multitude of SARS-CoV-2 variants in under five minutes. The goal of this NIH Director's Transformative Research Award grant is to incorporate a bead-based assay system that utilizes variant-specific probes into a portable air-sampling device with a maximum velocity of 700 cubic feet per minute to enable the simultaneous monitoring, detection, and quantification of diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants. All of this would be done at the point of presentation without the need for cumbersome and time-consuming laboratory-based procedures and equipment.
NIH Director's Transformative Research Award
The NIH Director's Transformative Research Award, housed within the Common Fund's High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, was designed to expedite scientific discoveries by supporting visionary scientists with innovative ideas. As one of the four NIH Director's award programs, this specific award was introduced in 2009 to foster transformative and high-impact research projects in the biomedical, behavioral, or social sciences within the NIH mission.