Chicago Coronavirus Assessment Network (Chicago CAN)

Connecting scientific research with public health to address the COVID-19 pandemic

Walder Foundation is committed to helping the Chicago, Cook County and Illinois public health departments better understand the transmission of the virus so that we might safely reopen our communities and prevent a crisis like the one we are experiencing from happening again.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, circulated in the United States for weeks before it was detected. It was six weeks before the first instance of community spread was identified, but by then it was too late to prevent localized outbreaks from exploding into the devastating health, economic, and social impacts that we are experiencing today. In order to better understand and stop the transmission of this virus and prevent a crisis from happening again, we launched Chicago CAN.

With over 500,000 unknown viruses circulating in wildlife capable of being transmitted to people, current public health surveillance systems that rely on symptomatic patients are not enough to effectively deal with novel virus outbreaks. The goals of Chicago CAN are twofold: first, to address key public health questions related to the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the greater Chicago region to provide actionable data for public health decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic and second, to lay the groundwork for the potential development of a dual-purpose viral research and public health early warning system that would rely on ongoing research, including the collection of community samples.

Through a request for proposals (RFP) developed in collaboration with public health leadership, Chicago CAN invited experts from the Chicago area’s scientific and medical research community to gather data and insights to better understand the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and inform public health policy.

The following Chicago CAN grants were awarded in October 2020:

Rapid Detection and Diagnosis of COVID-19 at Home and Point-Of-Care

Lead Institution: The University of Chicago/ Principal Investigator: Junhong Chen

This project looks to build a new COVID-19 testing device for rapid and cost-effective detection of SARS-CoV-2. The researchers want to make testing possible at home or point-of-care, without needing to send the samples away to a lab; instead, anyone would be able to see the results for themselves, similar to an at-home blood sugar test. By also combining detection of current SARS-CoV-2 infection with the measurement of antibodies against the virus, the device could dramatically change how we test for this virus.

COVID Equity Response Collaborative Loyola (CERCL): Understanding COVID-19 Transmission in Communities of Color

Lead Institution: Loyola University Chicago/Principal Investigator: Abigail Silva

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color. This initiative will bring increased SARS-CoV-2 testing to underserved African American and Hispanic/Latinx communities in suburban Cook County and provide social support to those directly impacted by the pandemic. By also applying social network analysis and antibody surveillance testing, the study will help us better understand what factors promote or hinder COVID-19 spread.

Read more about this project.

Chicago Can Beat COVID-19: Investigating the Efficacy of a Novel Self-testing Approach and Persuasive mHealth Technology in an Underserved, Community-based Sample

Lead Institution: University of Illinois at Chicago/Principal Investigator: Renee Taylor

An overall goal of Chicago CAN is to support the ongoing collection of community samples – both from those with and without symptoms – as part of an early warning system to detect new viral threats and stop them from becoming full-blown pandemics. This project will support expanded viral testing, contact tracing, and the development of an educational app. The team will also use an innovative SARS-CoV-2 saliva test that can be collected conveniently at home and sent to the lab for analysis, providing an additional way of reaching underserved populations that might not otherwise be reached.

Surveillance, Transmission Dynamics, and Disparities of COVID-19 Among Chicago Children

Lead Institution: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago/Principal Investigator: Larry Kociolek

This project will expand coronavirus testing in Chicago children who have symptoms of COVID-19, as well as their close contacts. The researchers will identify pediatric COVID-19 hotspots and also analyze genetic sequences of the virus to uncover the linkages and transmission patterns among COVID-19 patients. The team will also deploy mobile health units to monitor coronavirus infection in schools to further shed light on the role of children in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Knowledge gained from this project will inform public health on how to safely reopen schools and the economy.

Chicago Prototype Coronavirus Assessment Network Node (PCANN)

Lead Institution: University of Illinois at Chicago (Discovery Partners Institute)/Principal Investigator: Charles Catlett

This project looks to create a Chicago-based wastewater surveillance system for SARS-CoV-2 to provide a non-invasive and cost-effective way to examine community spread of the virus. By giving advance warning of emerging viral hotspots up to a week earlier than traditional tests, wastewater surveillance could give public health workers valuable time to mobilize and protect communities from uncontrolled outbreaks.

Alive Church Network: Increasing COVID-19 Testing in Chicago’s African American Testing Deserts

Lead Institution: Rush University Medical Center/Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Lynch

Through a collaborative partnership of pastors and researchers, this initiative will create a network of church-based COVID-19 testing sites in Chicago's West Side neighborhoods. The project will help address health inequities in these vulnerable communities, providing easier access to SARS-CoV-2 testing and COVID-19 education from an on-site clinical team.

Characterizing the Neutralizing Antibody Response in SARS-CoV-2 Infected Individuals

Lead Institution: Rush University Medical Center/Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Schneider

This project will help us better understand how our immune system responds to SARS-CoV-2, inform vaccine development efforts, and investigate unknowns such as how long does immunity last or what is the likelihood of re-infection. The team will take an in-depth look at the antibodies our bodies make to fight the virus, determining the molecular features of antibodies that can destroy the virus vs. those that do not provide lasting protection. Their findings will also inform the use of convalescent plasma therapeutics and identify where the highest levels of coronavirus exposure are occurring in the Chicago region.

Surveying SARS-CoV-2 Genomes and Public Data in Near Real-Time for Pandemic Response in Chicago

Lead Institution: Open Commons Consortium (Center for Computational Science Research Inc.)/Principal Investigator: Matthew Trunnell

There is currently a dearth of SARS-CoV-2 genomes available from the Chicago region. This project will considerably expand Chicagoland viral sequencing efforts and support a data-sharing infrastructure for this and other epidemiological data. Insights from this project will enhance our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and evolution, both from the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis and as the pandemic continues to unfold.

Read more about this project.

Update February 2021:

Characterizing the Long-term Durability and Composition of COVID-19 Vaccine-induced Antibodies

Lead Institution: Rush University Medical Center/ Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Schneider

This project aims to understand and document the antibody responses to the emerging COVID-19 vaccines in specific populations to better understand and strengthen the vaccine programs designed to promote worldwide control of the COVID-19 pandemic. A second focus of the research will examine the efficacy of the vaccine against the newly-identified COVID-19 variants.

Update December 2021:

Aircraft Cabin Filter Feasibility Study

Lead Institution: Northwestern University/Principal Investigator: Erica Hartmann

A new research study by Northwestern University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in collaboration with Discovery Partners Institute will examine how routine testing of aircraft cabin filters could help predict the next pandemic. During COVID-19, airline passengers have been seen as harbingers of new variant transmission. Monitoring of filters from aircraft ventilation systems for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 variants and other respiratory viruses has the potential to be translated into public health tools and outcomes.

B3: Boosters, Breakthroughs, and Biorepositories

Lead Institution: Rush University Medical Center/Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Schneider

Following the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in early 2021, antibody levels in the general population have been declining rapidly, which has led to the rise of breakthrough infections and the recent deployment of booster shots. A collaboration between Rush and Loyola Universities will explore novel methodologies to better understand breakthrough infections as well as the efficacy of booster shots. This collaboration will also establish a joint biorepository with data and samples discoverable to outside researchers, enabling additional studies.

Simultaneous Prevention and Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Engineering A Multivalent Nanotraplex

Lead Institution: University of Chicago/Principal Investigator: Jun Huang

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has become a major threat to world health. Some variants are not only more infectious but also can reduce or break the protection provided by current vaccines. To combat this unprecedented global challenge, this project will build on the prior success of Nanotrap treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 infection by engineering a “Nanotraplex” to simultaneously prevent and treat original and variant SARS-CoV-2 infection.