AMHERST, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- An associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is working to develop at-home HIV tests, backed by a $1.3 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Chao Liu with the Riccio College of Engineering at UMass was awarded the federal funding to develop tests designed to be easy to use while delivering lab-quality results, with the goal of enabling early diagnosis and bringing the technology to the public.

Globally, approximately 85 percent of people know their HIV status. Liu’s project aims to raise that figure to 95 percent.

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