The SBIR Phase I project has the potential to significantly impact the commercial sector by creating a virus capture technology. This technology aims to enhance the reliability of diagnostic tools used for detecting viral infections in humans, animals, and plants. The proposed device will be designed to be user-friendly, portable, and cost-effective, offering improved virus detection capabilities and superior performance in both analytical and clinical settings. Early and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases plays a crucial role in limiting the spread of viral infections, improving health outcomes, and minimizing economic losses. The technology being developed has a versatile platform that can target a wide range of viruses and be applied in various scenarios such as virus surveillance, identification of emerging viruses, and detection of virus mutations.

The primary objective of the project is to validate the technical feasibility of this virus capture technology in direct virus detection methods like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunoassay, and next-generation sequencing (NGS). The aim is to enhance the virus-to-host ratio and enable faster results. The project intends to create a portable sample processing platform that facilitates efficient trapping and purification of viruses from field samples, such as cotton swabs or tissue biopsies, without relying on antibodies.