**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** FOODBORNE ILLNESS CAUSES CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND CAUSES CONSIDERABLE ECONOMIC LOSS IN THE UNITED STATES AND GLOBALLY. THE LEADING CAUSE OF FOODBORNE INFECTIONS IN THE US AND GLOBALLY IS HUMAN NOROVIRUS, WHICH CAUSES MILLIONS OF ILLNESSES, RESULTS IN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DEATHS, AND LOSSES IN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ANNUALLY. THESE VIRUSES CAN SURVIVE ON SURFACES FOR WEEKS, ARE RESISTANT TO MOST COMMONLY USED DISINFECTANTS, AND REQUIRE JUST A HANDFUL OF PARTICLES TO MAKE SOMEONE SICK.MYCOTOXINS ARE TOXINS THAT CERTAIN FUNGI CAN PRODUCE THAT CAUSE ILLNESS IN HUMANS AND AGRICULTURAL ANIMALS. ALTHOUGH ILLNESS FROM MYCOTOXINS DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY RESULT IN DIRECT SYMPTOMS, THESE TOXINS CAN CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO PEOPLES' LIVER AND KIDNEYS OVER TIME IF CONSUMED, MAKING THEM EVEN HARDER TO PREVENT AND CONTROL. MYCOTOXINS OCCUR WHEN CERTAIN FUNGI GROW ON FOODS THAT ARE EVENTUALLY CONSUMED, AND THE FOODS MOST COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TOXINS INCLUDE GRAINS, LEGUMES, AND OTHER PLANT-BASED PRODUCTS. FURTHER, THE CONDITIONS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS CAUSING HAVE POTENTIAL TO FURTHER PROMOTE GROWTH OF THESE FUNGI AND SUBSEQUENT OCCURRENCE OF MYCOTOXINS IN FOODS. THIS POTENTIAL FOR HIGHER PRESENCE OF THESE TOXINS IN FOODS DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, AS WELL AS AN INCREASING TREND (AND NEED FOR) OF CONSUMPTION OF PLANT-BASED FOODS, MAKES MYCOTOXINS AND EMERGING EXISTENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT. DESPITE THEIR IMPORTANCE, ROUTINE AND COMPREHENSIVE TESTING FOR NOROVIRUSES AND MYCOTOXINS IN FOODS IS STILL FAIRLY LIMITED AS A PRACTICE DUE TO THE LACK OF RAPID, PORTABLE, AND INEXPENSIVE TESTING METHODS AND PROTOCOLS; THUS MAKING CONTROLLING THEIR CONSUMPTION MORE DIFFICULT.A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES EXIST IN TESTING FOR NOROVIRUSES AND MYCOTOXINS IN FOODS. ONE OF WHICH IS THAT BOTH ARE VERY DIVERSE IN THE DIFFERENT TYPES/VARIANTS OF THESE CONTAMINANTS THAT EXIST. ONE MUST BE ABLE TO DETECT THE BROAD CLASS, WHILE ALSO BEING ABLE TO DETERMINE WHICH TYPE IS DETECTED. FURTHER, MANY TESTING TECHNIQUES EITHER TAKE A LONG TIME (LIMITING APPLICATION), ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR USE IN FIELDS (REQUIRE CENTRAL LAB TESTING), CAN BE EASILY INHIBITED BY OTHER COMPOUNDS FOUND IN FOODS, AND ARE TOO COSTLY TO BE REALISTICALLY UTILIZED FOR NOROVIRUSES AND MYCOTOXINS.MOLECULARLY IMPRINTED POLYMER NANOPARTICLES (NANOMIPS), ARE AN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY THAT OFFERS THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INEXPENSIVE TESTING TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE ALSO ABLE TO WITHSTAND HARSH CONDITIONS (IN-FIELD). THE APPLICATION OF NANOMIPS FOR NOROVIRUS AND MYCOTOXIN TESTING HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED, AND THIS PROJECT PLANS TO DEVELOP THIS PROMISING TECHNOLOGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TESTS THAT ARE PORTABLE, INEXPENSIVE, AND HAVE POTENTIAL TO BE UTILIZED TO TARGET SPECIFIC TYPES OF NOROVIRUSES AND MYCOTOXINS, THUS ENABLING THE ABILITY TO BETTER DETECT NOROVIRUSES AND MYCOTOXINS IN FOODS BEFORE THEY ARE SERVED TO PEOPLE. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO EVALUATE THE ABILITY OF THE NANOMIP TESTS TO WITHSTAND AND PERFORM IN FOODS WITHOUT THE NEED TO COMPLICATED MANIPULATION THAT WILL ADD TIME TO RESULT AND LIMIT THEIR APPLICATION AT THE POINT OF PRODUCTION OR SERVICE. OVERALL, THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH TESTS FOR NOROVIRUSES AND MYCOTOXINS HAS POTENTIAL TO REDUCE THE CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC LOSS THAT NOROVIRUSES AND MYCOTOXINS PROVIDES, AS WELL AS LEAD TO KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL AID DEVELOPMENT OF NANOMIP SENSORS FOR OTHER VIRUSES AND TOXINS OF CONCERN.THIS PROJECT ALSO INVOLVES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN TWO GLOBALLY-LEADING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST AND NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY. THE MOORE AND GIBBONS LABS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS ARE RESPECTIVE EXPERTS IN FOODBORNE VIRUSES AND FUNGI, RESPECTIVELY. THE PEETERS LAB IN THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AT NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY HAS EXPERTISE IN NANOMIPS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF RAPID TESTS. FURTHER, THE DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE IS RANKED AMONG THE TOP DEPARTMENTS IN FOOD SCIENCE RESEARCH IN THE US AND GLOBALLY, WHILE NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY IS RECOGNIZED AS AMONG THE GLOBAL LEADERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SENSING TECHNOLOGIES. THIS PARTNERSHIP IS NOT ONLY IDEAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THESE NOVEL TESTING METHODS FOR NOROVIRUSES AND MYCOTOXINS, BUT WILL ALSO RESULT IN FORMING THE FOUNDATION OF A PARTNERSHIP THAT IS ANTICIPATED TO RESULT IN FUTURE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. THE PARTNERSHIP WILL ALSO INVOLVE EXCHANGES AND TRAINING OF THE LABS INVOLVED, AND WILL ALSO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES TO SOLIDIFY COLLABORATION BETWEEN THESE TWO WORLD-LEADING INSTITUTIONS.