Gregory DeMuri, Ellen Wald collaborating with University of Washington on new “lollipop” saliva collection

Gregory DeMuri, MD
Ellen Wald, MD

Congratulations to Co-Principal Gregory DeMuri, MD, professor, and Co-Investigator Ellen Wald, MD, professor and department chair, both in the Division of Infectious Diseases, who will be collaborating with lead Principal Investigator, Ashleigh Theberge, PhD, of the University of Washington, on a two-year grant titled, “Microengineered lollipop for patient-centric saliva collection.” This R21 subaward in the amount of $120,000 to the University of Wisconsin is funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In this project, the team will create a lollipop-inspired capture device named “LolliTest”. This device leverages innovations in open microfluidics to provide a novel platform for saliva collection that can capture and accumulate the pathogens of interest. This new platform is rapid and reliable and easy for pediatric patients. Ultimately, the LolliTest has the potential to make saliva sampling a new gold standard for respiratory disease diagnostics.