Tuesday, August 19, 2025 8/19/2025

Molecular Devices for the Detection and Treatment of HCMV Infection

Award Number: F30GM146428
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2027

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Molecular Devices for the Detection and Treatment of HCMV Infection - PROJECT SUMMARY CMV disease is the largest cause of post-transplant patient mortality. After a transplant, patients have to undergo extensive screening and prophylactic therapy in order to prevent reactivation of the virus. In many cases, even if these precautions are taken, the virus will reactivate after the patients finish antiviral therapy. This is due to the virus establishing latency in cells of the myeloid lineage. Because the antivirals target and inhibit virus replication, CMV is very difficult to target in its latent stage due to low levels of replication. This proposal aims to develop molecular tools that have the potential to be used in clinic to prevent CMV-related mortality, by combining the fields of protein and DNA engineering. In the first aim, a CMV detection platform will be developed that combines the techniques of rolling circle amplification and hybridization chain reaction to then turn on a luminescent protein biosensor that can be detected with a cell phone camera. This tool will allow identification of active CMV infection with high sensitivity by performing the one-pot reaction at room temperature with no special equipment for detection other than a cell phone. Patients will be able to self-screen at home using this low-cost alternative to PCR that does not require trained personnel or expensive equipment. In the second aim, DNA self-assembly technique of toehold-dependent strand displacement will be utilized to trigger a toxic protein switch in response to CMV-specific RNA input. The components will be introduced into a population of cells that may be latently infected with CMV, and the switch will turn on in response to a latency-associated CMV RNA that is expressed in target cells. This will cause specific death of CMV-infected cells. The potential application of this switch is its use in bone marrow transplants—the switch may be introduced in the cells of donor bone marrow, and any infected cells can be killed before transplantation into the recipient. Development of DNA/RNA-activated protein switches have been limited to natural cas proteins so far. There is a strong desire for the discovery of more cas proteins to extend the toolbox of CRISPR. The techniques developed in this proposal will circumvents that need by “CRISPR-izing” proteins of choice to perform any desired function based on a nucleic acid input. In aim 1 of this proposal, an RNA-activated luminescent protein switch will be constructed, and in aim 2, an RNA-activated toxic protein. These findings will give rise to a new class of proteins to perform functions unattainable by cas proteins in nature.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $54,538 )
2025	2025	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, THE	750 E ADAMS ST	SYRACUSE	NY	13210	ONONDAGA	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	4	7/22/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$54,538
														Subtotal = $54,538

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $53,974 )
2024	2024	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, THE	750 E ADAMS ST	SYRACUSE	NY	13210	ONONDAGA	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	3	8/9/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$53,974
														Subtotal = $53,974

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $52,694 )
2023	2023	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, THE	750 E ADAMS ST	SYRACUSE	NY	13210	ONONDAGA	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	2	8/30/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$52,694
														Subtotal = $52,694

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $51,752 )
2022	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, THE	750 E ADAMS ST	SYRACUSE	NY	13210	ONONDAGA	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	001	1	8/19/2022	NEW	$0
2022	2022	RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, THE	750 E ADAMS ST	SYRACUSE	NY	13210	ONONDAGA	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	8/19/2022	NEW	$51,752
														Subtotal = $51,752

Grand Total All Awards = $212,958

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Molecular Devices for the Detection and Treatment of HCMV Infection

Award Number: F30GM146428

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2027

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