** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HUMAN NOROVIRUS IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS IN THE UNITED STATES, AND IMPOSES A SUBSTANTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC BURDEN. HOWEVER, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO ROUTINE TESTING METHOD FOR FOODBORNE VIRUSES IN FOODS. THIS IS BECAUSE CURRENT PATHOGEN DETECTION METHODS ARE LARGELY INADEQUATE FOR VIRUS DETECTION, PARTICULARLY IN FOOD SAMPLES. MOST RAPID DETECTION METHODS CAN ONLY ANALYZE A VERY SMALL SAMPLE VOLUME, WHEN A REPRESENTATIVE FOOD SAMPLE IS TYPICALLY ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE LARGER. THEY ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO INTERFERENCE FROM FOOD MATRIX COMPONENTS. BOTH OF THESE FACTORS CAN LEAD TO FALSE NEGATIVE RESULTS. THESE ISSUES CAN BE CIRCUMVENTED SOMEWHAT BY CULTURAL ENRICHMENT WHEN WORKING WITH BACTERIAL PATHOGENS, BUT THAT IT RARELY FEASIBLE WITH VIRUSES. THEREFORE, IN ORDER FOR RAPID DETECTION OF VIRUSES TO BE FEASIBLE, THERE MUST BE ACCOMPANYING SAMPLE PREPARATION METHODS TO SEPARATE THE VIRUS FROM THE FOOD MATRIX AND CONCENTRATE IT DOWN TO A SMALLER VOLUME.A NUMBER OF SAMPLE PREPARATION METHODS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR VIRUSES, BUT THEY ARE OFTEN TIME-CONSUMING, HAVE LOW EFFICIENCY, AND CAN ONLY BE USED IN CENTRALIZED DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORIES. ADDITIONALLY, LITTLE ATTENTION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED GENOMIC EXTRACTION METHODS, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR MOST RAPID PATHOGEN DETECTION METHODS. AN IDEAL SAMPLE PREPARATION METHOD WOULD BE RAPID, LOW-COST, AND COMBINE ALL NECESSARY SAMPLE PREPARATION STEPS (TARGET CAPTURE, CONCENTRATION, AND GENOMIC EXTRACTION) INTO A SINGLE METHOD. THE PROPOSED WORKS AIMS TO DO JUST THAT THROUGH THE USE OF MAGNETIC IONIC LIQUIDS (MILS).MILS ARE DIVERSE CLASS BINDING REAGENTS THAT HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN USED FOR EXTRACTION OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS FROM FOOD SAMPLES. THEY ARE STABLE LONG-TERM AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, MEANING THEY DO NOT REQUIRE COLD STORAGE DURING TRANSPORT. FURTHERMORE, THE METHOD FOR MIL-BASED TARGET EXTRACTION REQUIRES MINIMAL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT. THIS WOULD MEAN THAT THIS METHOD CAN BE USED OUTSIDE OF CENTRALIZED DIAGNOSTIC LABS, DIRECTLY AT THE POINT OF NEED. THEREFORE, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO DEVELOP A MIL-BASED METHOD FOR SEPARATION, CONCENTRATION, AND GENOMIC EXTRACTION OF VIRUSES FROM FOOD SAMPLES. THE USE OF MILS FOR GENOMIC EXTRACTION WOULD CONSTITUTE AN ENTIRELY NEW APPLICATION FOR THESE REAGENTS. WHEN COMBINED WITH A PORTABLE RAPID NUCLEIC ACID BASED-DETECTION METHOD, OF WHICH MANY CURRENTLY EXIST, THIS WOULD ENABLE RAPID VIRUS DETECTION ANYWHERE, INCLUDING DIRECTLY AT FARMS AND FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES. IN OTHER WORDS, INSTEAD OF HAVING TO SEND SAMPLES TO THE LAB, THIS WOULD BRING THE LAB DIRECTLY TO WHERE IT'S NEEDED.?