Sandia National Labs FY20 LDRD Annual Report

FY20 ANNUAL REPORT

Sandia chemist Chung-Yan Koh, left, and former Sandia bioengineer Chris Phaneuf demo the SpinDx diagnostic device. (Photo by Jules Bernstein)

LDRD IMPACT STORY: Medical diagnostic capability developed through LDRD investments enables rapid response to the coronavirus pandemic

MISSION MOTIVATION: Rapidly identify trace levels of chemical and biological agents to contain and mitigate outbreaks and attacks. LDRD CHALLENGE: Develop technology for the detection of threats in environmental and clinical settings that are rapid, portable, automated, and highly accurate. MISSION IMPACT: Sandia’s deployable diagnostic and detection systems have been used in numerous national security and medical

applications ranging from toxin diagnostics to environmental monitoring to biodosimetry. One such technology, SpinDX, was utilized to provide rapid diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 early in the coronavirus pandemic. Sandia has a long history of developing novel detection systems. LDRD investments in “lab-on- chip” technology have allowed researchers to create portable diagnostic devices enabling the rapid detection of chemical and biological agents. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the development of

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LABORATORY DIRECTED RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT