IN THE UNITED STATES, HUMAN NOROVIRUSES ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF FOODBORNE ILLNESSES. THESE VIRUSES ARE MAINLY TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE FECAL-ORAL ROUTE, CAUSING LARGE FOODBORNE OUTBREAKS. THE ANNUAL ECONOMIC LOSS DUE TO THIS VIRUS IN THE UNITED STATES IS ESTIMATED AT $700 MILLION. HUMANS CAN GET INFECTED WITH NOROVIRUSES WHEN INGESTING FECALLY CONTAMINATED FOODS OR WATER OR FROM OTHER SICK INDIVIDUALS. THE VIRUS CAUSES ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS ( I.E. INFLAMMATION OF THE GUT) WITH SYMPTOMS INCLUDING FEVER, DIARRHEA, NAUSEA, MYALGIA AND VOMITING. HEALTHY ADULTS USUALLY RECOVER FROM THE INFECTION WITHIN A COUPLE DAYS; HOWEVER, FOR CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY, AND IMMUNOCOMPROMISED INDIVIDUALS THE INFECTION CAN LEAD TO HOSPITALIZATION, LIFE-THREATENING DEHYDRATION, AND DEATHS. HUMAN NOROVIRUSES ARE SHED FROM SICK INDIVIDUALS IN HIGH QUANTITIES REACHING BILLIONS OF PARTICLES PER GRAM OF FECES.WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE CONCENTRATION OF THESE VIRUSES IN THE TREATED WASTEWATER, BUT THE REST STILL END UP IN EFFLUENT WATER RELEASED INTO STREAMS AND RIVERS. HUMAN NOROVIRUSES ARE KNOWN TO BE STABLE IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND ARE HIGHLY INFECTIOUS; MEANING THAT A SMALL NUMBER OF THESE VIRUSES CAN CAUSE AN INFECTION. THEREFORE, IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT HUMAN NOROVIRUSES ARE FREQUENTLY DETECTED IN SURFACE FRESHWATER. IN THE UNITES STATES, ABOUT 52% OF TOTAL IRRIGATION WATER WITHDRAWALS IS SOURCED FROM SURFACE FRESHWATER. THE USE OF CONTAMINATED FRESHWATER IS KNOWN TO TRANSFER PATHOGENS TO THE IRRIGATED PRODUCE. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES (E.G. BERRIES AND LETTUCE) THAT ARE MINIMALLY PROCESSED OR FROZEN RAW ARE AT HIGHER RISK OF TRANSMITTING THESE VIRUSES TO HUMANS. THE 2024 FDA PRODUCE SAFETY RULE REQUIRES GROWERS TO DEVELOP PRE-HARVEST AGRICULTURAL WATER ASSESSMENTS TO IDENTIFY HAZARDS AND TO MANAGE THE RISK. GROWERS CAN CHOOSE TO TREAT THE WATER TO REMOVE THE HARMFUL MICROBES. HOWEVER, THERE IS CURRENTLY NO APPROVED TECHNOLOGY FOR REMOVAL OF VIRUSES FROM FRESHWATER THAT IS INTENDED FOR PRODUCE IRRIGATION. THEREFORE, THERE IS A NEED TO DEVELOP NOVEL MATERIALS FOR VIRUS CAPTURE AND REMOVAL FROM CONTAMINATED WATER.AEROGELS ARE TRANSPARENT, LOW-DENSITY, FOAMLIKE STRUCTURES WITH HIGH POROSITY. THE LATTER GIVES THEM A HIGH INTERNAL SURFACE AREA THAT CAN BE FUNCTIONALIZED TO CAPTURE SPECIFIC CONTAMINANTS. AEROGELS ARE ALREADY GAINING MOMENTUM FOR VARIOUS APPLICATIONS SUCH AS DRUG DELIVERY, TISSUE ENGINEERING, THERMAL INSULATION AND REMOVAL OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IN WATER. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS SEED PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP NOVEL, GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE BIOINSPIRED AEROGELS FOR NOROVIRUS CAPTURE AND REMOVAL FROM CONTAMINATED SURFACE FRESHWATER.OUR PREVIOUS RESEARCH IDENTIFIED TERMINAL CARBOHYDRATES (FUCOSYLATED XYLOGLUCANS) IN LETTUCE PLANTS CELL WALLS THAT ARE BIOMEMTICS OF THE TERMINAL CARBOHYDRATES (HISTOBLOOD GROUP ANTIGENS) FOUND IN HUMAN INTESTINE WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL IN NOROVIRUSES INFECTIONS. OUR APPROACH WOULD BE TO EXTRACT AND ISOLATE LETTUCE FUCO,SYLATED XYLOGLUCANS AS WELL AS SYNTHESIZE MULTI-FUOSYLATED XYLOGLUCANS POLYMERS. THESE WILL BE SCREENED FOR ENHANCED BINDING TO HUMAN NOROVIRUSES AND THE BEST POLYMERS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO AEROGELS ON A CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTAL SCAFFOLD THROUGH A FREEZE-CASTING PROCESS. XYLOGLUCANS ARE ABUNDANT AND BIODEGRADABLE WHICH WILL ALLOW THE SUSTAINABLE RE-USE OF WASTED LETTUCE GENERATED DURING HARVESTING AND PROCESSING OR THOSE RECALLED.CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTALS ARE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE, RIGID ROD-LIKE NANOPARTICLES WITH IMPRESSIVE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES THAT ARE BEING EXPLORED FOR USE AS REINFORCEMENT MATERIALS IN FILM, HYDROGELS AND AEROGELS. ALSO, XYLOGLUCANS NATURALLY ADSORB CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTALS WITHOUT THE NEED FOR CHEMICAL PRE-TREATMENT. THE SYNTHESIZED AEROGELS FROM VARIOUS RATIO OF FUCOSYLATED XYLOGLUCANS TO CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTALS WILL BE CHARACTERIZED FOR PORE MORPHOLOGY, INTEGRITY, STABILITY AND REGENERATIVE POTENTIAL. THE CAPTURE EFFICIENCY OF HUMAN NOROVIRUSES, LIMIT OF DETECTION AND SPECIFICITY WILL BE DETERMINED BOTH IN ARTIFICIALLY CONTAMINATED STERILE AS WELL AS RAW SURFACE FRESHWATER. AEROGEL BINDING TO OTHER FOODBORNE PATHOGENIC BACTERIA, E. COLI O157:H7 AND CAMPLYOBACTER JEJUNI, WHICH ARE KNOWN TO BIND CARBOHYDRATES, WILL ALSO BE DETERMINED. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THESE TASKS WILL ALLOW THE INTRODUCTION OF A NOVEL MATERIAL TO EFFICIENTLY REMOVE HUMAN NOROVIRUSES FROM CONTAMINATED WATER.THIS AEROGEL TECHNOLOGY IS GREEN, SUSTAINABLE, AND SCALABLE AND CAN POTENTIALLY OFFER GROWERS A NON-CHEMICAL TOOL TO TREAT AGRICULTURAL WATER WHEN FECAL CONTAMINATION WITH HUMAN NOROVIRUS IS IDENTIFIED IN SURFACE FRESHWATER. THIS WILL ULTIMATELYREDUCE WATERBORNE AND FOODBORNE OUTBREAKS ATTRIBUTED TO WATER CONTAMINATED WITH HUMAN NOROVIRUSES.