URI_Research_Magazine_Momentum_Fall_2020_Melissa-McCarthy

URI researcher working on coronavirus testing developments.

More sensitive tests are able to detect even the smallest traces of viral material, which is critical.

When the pandemic hit the U.S., Slitt and her team began working on a method to bolster the national coronavirus response by tweaking the mechanisms already being employed by Slitt’s research in the Sources, Transport, Exposure, and Effects of PFASs (STEEP) lab at URI, funded by the National Institutes of Health Superfund Research program. Since her PFAS test ultimately is used to look at changes in genetic material, Slitt reasoned that this research could be adapted to identify coronavirus in human cells. Slitt credits one of her former Ph.D. students, Ogochukwu Amaeze, a Fulbright scholar from Nigeria, with the initial inspiration to think about harnessing the lab’s technology to detect the COVID-19 virus. It was through mentoring Amaeze that Slitt realized the stark difference in scientific equipment and capacity between the United States and Nigeria. As the pandemic continued to grow and high-end equipment became sought after commodities, she thought about simpler and cheaper solutions for Sars-CoV-2 testing. She reflected on the bond between her teammates, and the hard-work, long-hours and late nights together – during the early weeks of the pandemic – to meet this huge need for the community. “We’ve experienced high and lows, and really the lesson learned is that a good team perseveres,” said Slitt, adding that such tenacity is foundational to the achievements made by the research team thus far. The implications for a novel COVID-19 testing technique are far-reaching for the global pandemic. “It would be advantageous for other parts of the

world, where PCR machines aren’t so common and micropipetters are hard to come by,” she said. Increasing access to coronavirus testing for underserved countries sits high on Slitt’s priority list. While the method has not yet been approved by the FDA, she remains hopeful that this will happen soon. Importantly, the University will be able – very soon – to use this test for effective risk surveillance purposes for its own students, faculty and staff. URI sees this homegrown test as a key part of its strategy to safely meet its core teaching and research missions in semesters to come.

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