NSF providing critical support in COVID-19 fight

!

Credit: Northwestern University

1. Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

Image file:

One of the most well-known projects supported by NSF is the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, a leading resource for tracking the state of the pandemic in real-time. All data is freely available to researchers, public health authorities and the public to support evidence-based decision-making. Support from NSF and other organizations keeps the dashboard operating and the development of additional capabilities. The engineering work associated with development can also be applied to future public health events.

2. SARS-CoV-2 identification

NSF provided essential support to efforts to quickly identify structural aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to help understand how it functions. A project at UC-San Diego leveraged a crowdsourced supercomputing effort to model how the virus binds to human cells. The simulations revealed that molecules called glycans help the virus bind to receptors on human cells. Identifying this activity helped accelerate the development of new treatments. A supercomputing project known as Folding@home identified the atomic makeup of the virus. By linking tens of thousands of home computers to act as a supercomputer, researchers were able to build a simulation of the virus that helped explain its behavior.

3. Virus spread and transmission research

A priority for many scientists has been studying how the virus spreads in the environment and how to control its transmission. Researchers at the University of Florida discovered that aerosols contain infectious live virus and can travel up to 16 feet. This challenged the initial assumption that a separation distance of 6 feet was safe for social interaction and can help guide decision-makers in their efforts to return to regular economic and social activities. A project at the Yale School of Environment is studying how the virus travels via streams, rivers and water systems that connect smaller communities and large urban centers. The work will also study whether storms that produce overflow events increase the potential of virus spread.

4. Prevention method development

Understanding how the virus spreads aided NSF-funded researchers in developing methods to prevent that movement and keep the virus from infecting humans. A team at Virginia Tech is building on the discovery that the virus binds to carbohydrate-based polymers to develop virus-trapping gels and surfaces. NSF-supported research at Northwestern University is intended to design self-sanitizing medical masks that deactivate the virus on contact. The project is incorporating anti-viral chemicals into a physical barrier that could be added to masks to provide an extra layer of protection for healthcare workers.

5. Diagnostic test development

Another critical area of focus is the development of rapid, inexpensive diagnostic tests that could be widely deployed. Lucira Health was able to use its diagnostic platform developed under NSF grants to quickly create a COVID-19 diagnostic which became the first to receive FDA authorization. The University of Texas at Austin's Ellington Lab hopes to deploy its GeneTiger system soon. Work at Penn State University is focused on using lasers to detect the virus. Mauricio Terrones, professor of physics, chemistry, and materials science and engineering, believes a technique called Raman spectroscopy can identify the virus more quickly than other methods. A sample of saliva is collected via swab or by a person blowing through a device. The laser then identifies the virus by measuring vibrations that result from shining the light on the sample.

6. Contact tracing support

Even as vaccines become more available, contact tracing will remain an important part of ending the pandemic. Debra Laefer of the New York University Tandon School of Engineering is developing a model that takes into account human behavior in terms of where people go and how they physically interact with the environment. This will help communities better determine risks at the local level. Ramesh Raskar of the MIT Media Lab, is developing a contact tracing platform that takes privacy into account. SafePaths enables users to see if they crossed paths with someone who was later diagnosed with the virus by comparing GPS and Bluetooth trails from smartphones while protecting the privacy rights of carriers and unexposed citizens. Researchers are also exploring how to help leaders understand the different aspects of the pandemic and make better-informed decisions. A study at Penn State is combining multiple disease forecast models into a single framework to help leaders understand the implications of and make decisions in the face of the growing amount of scientific data. New Mexico Highlands University is using machine learning and artificial intelligence to help decisionmakers slow the spread of the virus in tribal nations. NSF also supports scientists and researchers studying the mental health aspects of the pandemic and its impact on all areas of society, such as how the pandemic is disrupting STEM higher education in the United States and a study modeling mental health consequences across the country.

NSF has played a vital role in jumpstarting the national and international response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The knowledge gained from NSF-supported research will form the foundation of a broad range of solutions that will help contain the virus, help those who are infected recover, and help return daily life to normal. This research will also provide building blocks that put the U.S. in a better position to respond to potential future health emergencies. Learn more about NSF's COVID-19-related projects.

Where this page came from

This page was imported from U.S. National Science Foundation. Published by the U.S. National Science Foundation and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain; material credited to others is left out.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.