Simpler Grants.gov #G27AS00062

USGS RT-QuIC Data Analysis Research for Chronic Wasting Disease

The U.S. Geological Survey is seeking a Rocky Mountain CESU partner to improve automated analysis of RT-QuIC data for Chronic Wasting Disease research. - Government buyer: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats & Invasive Species Research Program. - Work requested: One cooperative-agreement project to develop standardized, automated analysis of RT-QuIC assay data for Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance and management. - Develop and refine machine-learning models, including LSTM, CNN-LSTM, and hybrid architectures, to classify fluorescence curves and identify seeding activity. - Standardize preprocessing, including noise filtering, adaptive smoothing, and feature extraction, and assemble labeled datasets from collaborating laboratories. - Create an open-source R-Shiny or Streamlit/Python application for data ingestion, processing, visualization, and classification. - Validate results across at least three independent laboratories, including the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and the University of Georgia’s Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. - Share results with natural resource management agencies and produce a peer-reviewed publication. - Key requirements: Deliver a reproducible approach that improves consistency across laboratories. Applicable geospatial requirements include using existing data where available, providing generated GIS data in open formats, and supplying complete feature-level metadata for delineated data. - Funding and period: One award is expected, with estimated total funding of $145,220 and no cost-sharing requirement. The project is planned for five budget years: one base year and four additional years, subject to satisfactory progress and available funding; first-year funding is estimated at $72,610. - OEMs and vendors: No commercial OEMs or vendors are identified.

Description

The U.S. Geological Survey is offering a cooperative agreement to an eligible partner of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The research will improve the efficiency and standardization of Real-Time Quaking Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) assay data analysis for Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance, research, and management. Work includes developing a robust, automated, and reproducible analytical pipeline to improve repeatability and consistency across laboratories. The estimated total program funding is $145,220, with one expected award and no cost-sharing requirement.

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