Generating solutions

Pandemic viral threats recur periodically as infectious agents recombine and disseminate in populations. SARS, MERS, and 2019 novel coronavirus pandemics have demonstrated the pace and scale at which these viruses spread in human populations. Rapid identification of viral genome sequences is required to develop targeted diagnostic tests. Using genomic tools, the team will validate the detection of coronaviruses in clinical samples and then develop assays for point of care testing (POCT) of the virus. The goal is to develop a portable test that can be taken to the bedside where patients are quarantined so that these individuals do not further transmit viruses in our hospitals and public places.