ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected >10 million people and disrupted the global economy. Tracking the spread of the disease is critical to protecting public health and assessing the success of pandemic response. Wastewater surveillance for COVID-19 is based on measuring genes from SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) in municipal wastewater. This information tells us whether COVID-19 is present and how it is spreading in a community. While this technique holds promise, major knowledge gaps must be addressed to allow widespread application of this technique. The goal of this Research Coordination Network (RCN) project is to connect researchers from across the Nation who are studying this problem to maximize the discovery potential. This RCN will be completely virtual to enable widespread participation during the pandemic and allow for ?open-door? participation of any interested research groups or individuals. Specific activities include virtual conferences, workshops, training videos, and seminars for dissemination of knowledge. Data will be maintained in a centralized data repository to facilitate sample exchange and archiving. Exchange and knowledge transfer will be facilitated on a global scale by connecting with other international wastewater surveillance networks and efforts. Beyond aiding in the COVID-19 pandemic response, the proposed RCN will contribute to the scientific literacy of the Nation through student and postdoc training, data sharing, and broad dissemination of research findings.

The infectious agent SARS-CoV-2, a member of the Coronavirus family, is the causative agent of COVID-19, a respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019. COVID-19 has since grown into a global pandemic, causing >10M illnesses and >500K deaths globally. The outbreak has led to severe economic impacts resulting from interventions such as social distancing and stay at home ordinances to slow the spread of the disease. A significant challenge in responding to COVID-19 is the difficulty of measuring the prevalence of COVID-19 in a given community. SARS-CoV-2 RNA is shed in the stool of infected individuals, thereby affording the opportunity to rapidly monitor for coronavirus presence in centralized wastewater collection systems. Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA has thus emerged as an alternative for rapid assessment of COVID-19 presence within a community. However, despite its potential for efficient surveillance, there are numerous critical research questions that remain to be addressed before widespread adoption of this technique can occur. The team of investigators from the University of Notre Dame, Howard University, Stanford University, and Arizona State University will convene a one-year Research Coordination Network (RCN) effort with the goal of connecting teams from across the country studying SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater to address these knowledge gaps. Network activities will be held virtually to maximize participation during the pandemic. Specific activities include virtual conferences facilitated by the Water Research Foundation, workshops, training videos, and seminars for dissemination of knowledge. Exchange and knowledge transfer will be facilitated on a global scale by connecting with other international wastewater surveillance networks and efforts. Successful completion of this RCN will accelerate the transfer of knowledge leading to more rapid adoption of best practices that can facilitate the development of wastewater surveillance.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

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