Khalid Salaita, Professor of Chemistry at Emory University. Credit: Kay Hinton, Emory University
Merck KGaA has awarded its 2023 Future Insight Prize to an Emory University professor of chemistry who is currently developing a continuously monitoring air sensor to be used for the detection of pathogens indoors. The award, in the amount of $540,000, will be used to fund additional research and development into the project called the Rolosense.
Intended to recognize and award groundbreaking ideas or developments in health, nutrition, and energy, the Merck Future Insight Prize is an annual award intended to “stimulate innovative solutions to solve some of humanities greatest problems”. The recipient for 2023 was Khalid Salaita, professor of chemistry at Emory University, who is currently working on an indoor air sensor that can be used to detect pathogens. “I’m extremely thankful to receive the Future Insight Prize as this enables us to continue our path toward an early-warning system for emerging threats,” Sailta says. “Our research sets the stage for fully automated detection of airborne pathogens without human intervention or sample processing.”
The Rolosense operates on a logic gate principle in which either “motion” or “no motion” is detected and used to evaluate the presence of pathogens in real time. During the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the team utilized an aptamer or piece of DNA that would bind to SARS-CoV-2. This binding stalls the Rolosense motor causing a readout of “no motion” and thus signaling the presence of SARS-CoV-2. By simply adding different aptamers the team has been able to detect other viruses such as influenza A.
The Merck award will allow the team to further refine the technology, with the hope of one day having applications in both public spaces and private homes as well. The Rolosense is set to become an indispensable tool for public health. “One thing is for certain,” Salaita says. “There is a need for viral-detecting devices for public indoor air spaces as we enter an era when pandemics will likely become more common.”