Prof. Amer Secures Prestigious Saudi NIH Grant for Infectious Disease Biosensor Development

In a groundbreaking achievement, Prof. Amer has been awarded a prestigious multi-million-dollar grant from the Saudi National Institutes of Health (SNIH). The highly competitive grant, spanning five years, is part of the Pandemic and Biotechnology Research Initiative, a program that selected only three projects nationwide under its stringent regulations.

Prof. Amer will be leading the efforts along with research members from University of Southern California. The research focuses on developing an advanced biosensor platform for the rapid detection of infectious diseases, including HIV, COVID-19, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Dengue Fever, and Measles. The biosensor leverages cutting-edge nanotechnology and semiconductor-based detection mechanisms to enable ultra-sensitive, real-time diagnostics.

Transforming Healthcare and Beyond

With this pioneering initiative, Prof. Amer’s research aims to revolutionize disease diagnostics and pandemic preparedness by introducing a portable, cost-effective, and highly accurate biosensor that can detect multiple infectious diseases from a single test. This technology will significantly reduce diagnostic time from hours to minutes, enabling early intervention, faster treatment, and better disease management.

This project aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which prioritizes biomedical innovation and localizing medical technologies. The biosensor platform will serve both national and global healthcare systems by enhancing pandemic readiness, hospital diagnostics, and public health monitoring.

A Breakthrough for Biotechnology and Public Health

This work represents a paradigm shift in biosensing technologies, addressing critical global challenges in infectious disease surveillance and rapid outbreak response. By integrating semiconductor-based biosensors, this initiative will:

• Empower early disease detection through high-precision nanomaterial-based sensing.

• Improve accessibility to diagnostics in hospitals, remote areas, and border health checkpoints.

• Minimize healthcare costs by reducing the need for expensive, centralized lab testing.

• Enhance global pandemic preparedness by offering a scalable and deployable diagnostic platform.

With Saudi NIH’s strategic backing, Prof. Amer and his team are set to develop a next-generation biosensing platform that will shape the future of infectious disease diagnostics, cementing biotechnology and medical innovation localization in the Kingdom.