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More than two years after the first identified case of COVID-19 and with over half the worldwide population fully vaccinated, an onslaught of breakthrough infections have left scientists wondering what more can be done to prevent transmission. Rather than improve on existing vaccination methods, researchers at the University of Maryland are looking to stop the spread of COVID-19 at its source–in the nose. 

Counterfeit goods result in hundreds of billions of dollars in losses every year. According to a 2020 report co-authored by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, counterfeiting tops the list of global criminal enterprises, with  domestic and international sales of counterfeit and pirated goods estimated between $1.7 trillion and $4.5 trillion each year.

While the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed innovation in at-home testing via rapid antigen​​ tests, these technologies are limited to a small number of diseases and are not suitable for more complicated sample types, such as blood. Currently, tests for viruses in blood must be performed in a sophisticated laboratory and thus generally require multiple days before results are delivered to patients.