UF ENGINEER RECEIVES NSF GRANT TO ENABLE REAL-TIME SURVEILLANCE OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE

One method of controlling AMR outbreaks is real-time identification of AMR. High-throughput sequencing technology has been proven to be effective in identification of AMR, but in the past both the technology and analysis were not portable. Now, advancements in sequencing technology have shrunken the size of the devices used so that they can fit into one hand, making the sequencing technology portable; but the analysis of the resulting data requires comparing millions or billions of DNA sequences. This analysis has been limited to high performance computers that have significant memory and disk space, limiting AMR identification in low-resource settings, such as rural areas.

Boucher’s research project will overcome the challenge of detection of AMR in rural areas by developing novel algorithms and interfaces for on-site, real-time detection of AMR using consumer portable computing devices such as smartphones and tablets. This will, in turn, lead to a completely portable system for AMR identification, which can be used in areas remote from large data analysis centers.