Grant: Alliance Grants
Université d'Ottawa
$192,500.00
Development of Responsive, Reliable and Accurate Wastewater Surveillance Diagnostics of Infectious Diseases
FY 2024-25
Summary
The pressure exerted by the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on public health resources resulted in the development and global application of severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 virus wastewater surveillance (CoV-2 WWS). The successes of CoV-2 WWS initiatives around the world along with a recent scientific advancement of the field of wastewater-based epidemiology positions WWS as an important diagnostic tool that can be further advanced for additional health benefits across Canada and the world. In this regard, the Ottawa team of researchers surveyed collaborators and colleagues at First Nation medical teams, local public health units in Ontario, Public Health Ontario (PHO), and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to identify diseases of interest for the advancement of WWS. The public health units and agencies preferentially identified the influenza virus (Flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and monkeypox virus (MPXV). As such, the Ottawa research team in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), Public Health Ontario (PHO), City of Ottawa, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and The Regional Municipality of York (York Region, which includes York Region Public Health) propose to develop new, responsive, accurate, reliable and comprehensive WWS diagnostic tools for Flu, RSV and MPXV. The research will move beyond the development of methods to quantify disease targets in wastewaters and will address the critical issue of data variability in WWS. Specifically, the research endeavours to advance our current knowledge of disease target partitioning in wastewaters, develop new knowledge of the fate of these disease targets in wastewater infrastructure and identify the use of appropriate biomarkers to normalize the data in order to minimize variability observed in WWS data sets. The research will serve to improve community health in Canada, to mitigate health inequities in the country and will produce responsive diagnostic tools necessary for the country's pandemic preparedness strategies.
Program
Alliance Grants
Recipient
Location
Ontario, Canada
Recipient Type
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
As published
Application id
577050-2022
Name nom
Delatolla, Robert R
Department département
Civil Engineering
Organization id
28
Institution établissement
Université d'Ottawa
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2024
Competition year année de concours
2022
Award amount
192500
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
Group fr
PARTENARIATS DE RECHERCHE
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
400
Area of application group en
Environment
Area of application group fr
Environnement
Area of application en
Environment
Area of application fr
Environnement
Research subject code
1500
Research subject group en
Environmental engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie de l'environnement
Research subject en
Environmental engineering
Research subject fr
Génie de l'environnement
Field of research list names en
Not available
Field of research list names fr
Non disponible
Socioeconomic objective list names en
Not available
Socioeconomic objective list names fr
Non disponible
Application title
Development of Responsive, Reliable and Accurate Wastewater Surveillance Diagnostics of Infectious Diseases
Keywords
biomarkers; fate and degradation; influenza - flu; monkeypox virus - mpxv; respiratory syncytial virus - rsv; wastewater based epidemiology; wastewater partitioning; wastewater surveillance
Application summary
The pressure exerted by the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on public health resources resulted in the development and global application of severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 virus wastewater surveillance (CoV-2 WWS). The successes of CoV-2 WWS initiatives around the world along with a recent scientific advancement of the field of wastewater-based epidemiology positions WWS as an important diagnostic tool that can be further advanced for additional health benefits across Canada and the world. In this regard, the Ottawa team of researchers surveyed collaborators and colleagues at First Nation medical teams, local public health units in Ontario, Public Health Ontario (PHO), and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to identify diseases of interest for the advancement of WWS. The public health units and agencies preferentially identified the influenza virus (Flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and monkeypox virus (MPXV). As such, the Ottawa research team in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), Public Health Ontario (PHO), City of Ottawa, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and The Regional Municipality of York (York Region, which includes York Region Public Health) propose to develop new, responsive, accurate, reliable and comprehensive WWS diagnostic tools for Flu, RSV and MPXV. The research will move beyond the development of methods to quantify disease targets in wastewaters and will address the critical issue of data variability in WWS. Specifically, the research endeavours to advance our current knowledge of disease target partitioning in wastewaters, develop new knowledge of the fate of these disease targets in wastewater infrastructure and identify the use of appropriate biomarkers to normalize the data in order to minimize variability observed in WWS data sets. The research will serve to improve community health in Canada, to mitigate health inequities in the country and will produce responsive diagnostic tools necessary for the country's pandemic preparedness strategies.
