The Bloodborne Viruses Laboratory’s applied research program includes developing molecular and serological laboratory methods to address clinical testing and surveillance needs. The laboratory also collaborates with internal and external investigators on applied and public health-focused research projects. We have served as an Association of Public Health Laboratories’ HIV Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) Reference Center since 2012. The goals of this project are to provide U.S. public health laboratories with HIV-1 and HIV-2 RNA testing to assist in the diagnosis of acute HIV infections and to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing HIV NAT using shared services model.

Although most research projects in the laboratory focus on HIV and HCV, in 2020 as part of our public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our lab developed a high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 antibody assay for use with dried blood spots, which was used in statewide seroprevalence studies in early 2020.  This assay was also used in additional collaborative projects, including with the Wadsworth Center Newborn Screening Program to assess the seroprevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 in women who gave birth in New York State from November 2019 through November 2021, with the Collaborative Cohort of Cohorts for COVID-19 Research (C4R) Study to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among several large ongoing cohort studies, and with other Wadsworth Center laboratories and research groups across the country for a collaborative project funded through a U01 grant to develop enhanced dried blood spot serology methods for measuring SARS-CoV-2 exposure and immunity as part of the National Cancer Institute’s Serological Sciences Network for COVID-19 (SeroNet). 

Current assay development projects

• HIV-1 TNA detection by digital PCR
• HIV-2 sequencing to detect antiretroviral drug resistance mutations
• Next generation sequencing of hepatitis C virus (HCV) samples for analysis using New York State Hepatitis Outbreak and Surveillance Technology (NYSHOST)
• Hepatitis B surface antigen testing of dried blood spots