Improved Diagnostic Assays for Foodborne and Waterborne Bacterial Pathogens

Phase I SBIR proposals will be accepted. Fast-track proposals will not be accepted. Phase I clinical trials will not be accepted. Number of anticipated awards: 1 Budget (total costs): Phase I up to $243,500 for up to 6 months; Phase II of up to $2,045,816 and a Phase II duration of up to 2 years PROPOSALS THAT EXCEED THE BUDGET OR PROJECT DURATION LISTED ABOVE MAY NOT BE FUNDED. Background Diarrheal diseases account for >50% of global foodborne illnesses, causing 550 million cases and 230,000 deaths annually. It is the second commonest cause of mortality among children under 5 years of age. In the United States, an estimated 37 million cases of foodborne illness and over 280,000 hospitalizations occur annually. The landscape for diagnostics of diarrheal infections is changing and conventional laboratory-based methods, which can take several days for confirmation, are being replaced by advanced molecular technologies. Limitations to the current technologies on the market, including multi-pathogen syndromic panels, include high starting cost, high costs per sample, potential for false positive results, and inaccessibility in global markets. These limitations have prevented their wide implementation, especially in resource-limited settings, and hindered the decentralization of testing for disease surveillance. Therefore, rapid, accurate, and cost-effective diagnostic testing strategies for illness caused by foodborne pathogens that are easily accessible is an important need for public health surveillance and outbreak response.