SBIR TOPIC 010 - TECHNOLOGY TO FACILITATE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EXPOSOME IN UNDER-RESOURCED POPULATIONS FOR AD/ADRD STUDIES

The progress report was submitted earlier than required by NIH policy (Phase I Progress Report attached). This is due to the milestones being completed ahead of schedule. The team has made significant progress and achieved expected milestones for homeRNA design and testing ahead of schedule. They have worked with their supplier to finalize a design for their injection molding parts and tested out the usability of these parts in older populations who are the target demographic. In testing, their kit performance is robust across participant demography (locations, age) and mailing groups leading to increased confidence that this would be a viable solution for self-collecting DNA in their homes. Participant survey responses to assess kit usability show that majority of the participants (more than 97% of participants) rated that the homeRNA kit easy to use. Their homeAir device has passed prototyping, manufacturability, and integrated electronics tests and milestones. These results achieve the milestones documented in the contract indicating that Seabright LLC can progress to Phase 2 of the contract.