Novel Spectroscopic Detection of Viral Pathogens in Saliva

This DOD grant addresses the need for rapid screening for the presence of the coronavirus at large venues such as military bases and hospitals, VA hospitals, etc. It is based on a radically new spectrometer architecture that integrates data from separate miniature spectrometers, all incorporated into one handheld instrument, using multimodal data fusion and Artificial Intelligence for pattern recognition and data analysis. This patented architecture breaks new ground in spectroscopy and is built on handheld spectrometer platforms developed by Lightsense. This multispectral architecture is expected to yield several orders of magnitude enhancement of sensitivity and accuracy and will provide a unique ability to identify and quantify viral pathogens. Critically, this technology is “future-proof”, being able to “learn” the signatures of new pathogens that may––and will––appear in the future. The work under this grant will result in a compact handheld optical instrument capable of quickly, accurately, safely, and at low cost detecting SARS-CoV-2 virus in saliva. The instrument will yield the results in no more than 2 minutes and can be operated without needing clinically trained personnel as a point-of-need device for rapid screening at DOD facilities and public venues to identify infected individuals and prevent further spread.