Engineering programmable CRISPR RNAs for massively parallel target detection

Rapid detection of infectious diseases requires technologies that can identify many pathogens simultaneously while remaining robust in complex samples. This need is especially critical in settings where tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria (HTM) co-circulate, yet diagnostics remain largely based on single-pathogen tests. Our laboratory develops CRISPR-Cas13-based systems to address these challenges. We leverage CARMEN, a highly multiplexed platform that combines programmable RNA detection with microfluidics to measure dozens of targets across hundreds of samples in a single run. Here, we developed HTM CARMEN for simultaneous detection of HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Plasmodium species, along with tuberculosis drug-resistance mutations, with performance comparable to quantitative PCR across diverse clinical samples. We also introduce target-independent activation of Cas13, a recently observed phenomenon with important implications for CRISPR assay design. Together, this work advances programmable RNA sensors for the development of next-generation diagnostic technologies in clinical and resource-limited settings.

Biography:

She previously was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows working with Prof. Pardis Sabeti at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. During this time, she developed multiplexed high-throughput diagnostic assays against deadly infectious diseases (e.g., Ebola, Lassa Virus, etc.) to support global outbreak surveillance and prevention. In addition, she partnered with the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) to implement CRISPR-Cas13 diagnostic testing in Ede, Nigeria which may enable routine surveillance of infectious outbreaks in the region. Prior to her appointment at Harvard, she pursued her doctoral studies with Nobel Laureate Prof. Carolyn Bertozzi at UC Berkeley and at Stanford University. At Stanford, she developed a new diagnostic technology for the rapid and simple detection of tuberculosis (TB) at the point-of-care. This project was awarded a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to test their diagnostic devices in places with high levels of disease, including Johannesburg - South Africa. In addition, her work was translated into a public benefit corporation and, as a co-Founder of OliLux Biosciences, Inc. -- a company dedicated to providing low- cost, portable and reliable diagnostic devices in low-resource settings -- she continues to serve the underserved and underrepresented populations.

Dr. Kamariza has received many awards and honors. Dr. Kamariza was selected as a 2025 Hellman Fellow at UCLA. As well, Dr. Kamariza was named a 2024 ‘Innovators 35 Under 35’ by MIT Tech Reviews, a 2022 ‘Eleven Early-Career Researchers to Watch’ by Nature Medicine, and she was among the Chemical & Engineering News’ Talented 12 in 2020. During her graduate studies, she received the Ruth L. Kirschstein Pre-Doctoral National Research Service (F31) Award from the National Institutes of Health, Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence Doctoral Fellowship from Stanford University, the Chancellor’s Fellowship and the National Science Foundation F Bridge to the Doctorate Graduate Fellowship at UC Berkeley, and the Maximizing Access to Research Careers Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences while at the University of California, San Diego. 

She holds a PhD in Biology from Stanford University, a masters degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelors degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. She is a proud alumni of San Diego Mesa College, part of the San Diego Community College District.