Researchers collaborated to develop a prototype for an aerosol particle collector to integrate with microsensors for in-field threat monitoring
Sykesville, MD – September 19, 2024 – Zeteo Tech, Inc., the biodefense and medical device company that has developed a revolutionary new class of fieldable biological mass spectrometers and innovative human breath detection technologies, announced that it completed a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program grant alongside Texas A&M University (TAMU, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering) to develop a modular aerosol sampler for microsensors to enable enhanced threat detection at the point of need.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued a call for small, low-power, low-cost, networked aerosol collectors that, when integrated with microsensors, can be dispersed over an area for enhanced situational awareness. This would enable warfighters to monitor for threats such as toxic chemicals or pathogens in the field.
To meet this need, Zeteo has developed a modular microsensor that can be paired with TAMU’s wetted wall cyclone (WWC) technology, developed earlier for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Zeteo’s own impactor module. Both technologies can be integrated with a modular microsensor based on the type of collection needed, including liquid, surface deposit, or air concentration. The proposed device would efficiently collect different particle sizes in large air volumes, deliver bioparticles in various liquid volumes while maintaining their culturability and DNA integrity, operate with a suite of potential sample collection fluids, and use components designed to be produced close to the point of need using advanced manufacturing techniques, and operate under the control of non-proprietary code.
“We are excited to have been selected for this award alongside our partners at Texas A&M to help the Department of Defense better protect soldiers in the field from biological and chemical threats,” said Dr. Wayne Bryden, President and Chief Executive Officer of Zeteo Tech. “By offering various sample formats and a modular design approach, our jointly developed solution enables the best technology to be fielded for many different use cases using a single portable device.”
“At Texas A&M we are very happy to be part of the Zeteo-Tech team. Joining this project is an exciting opportunity, and we look forward to working together and contributing to our shared goals for increased public safety,” said Dr. Maria King, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Agricultural Air Quality Engineering and Science (CAAQES) at BAEN TAMU.
To learn more about Zeteo Tech and its technology, please visit www.zeteotech.com.
About Zeteo Tech
Zeteo Tech is a venture-backed biodefense and medical device company that has developed a revolutionary new class of fieldable biological mass spectrometers. Zeteo’s instruments identify airborne microbes, proteins, and lipids, and can be used to screen for infectious disease and other biothreats. Its innovative, patented and patent-pending time of flight mass spectrometry technology, digitalMALDI®, enables fully automated and near real-time identification of bio-threats in operational environments and dramatically lowers cost-of-ownership relative to the biomolecular reagent-based systems being currently deployed for biodefense applications. To learn more, visit www.zeteotech.com.
About Texas A&M University
The Center for Agricultural Air Quality Engineering and Science (CAAQES) at the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering addresses the needs for improved monitoring of public health emergencies by focusing on the collection, detection and tracking of hazardous bioaerosols including viruses and infectious particles with antimicrobial resistance. The sampling of bioaerosols using the wetted wall cyclone collectors developed at TAMU are conducted in industrial, agricultural, urban, and mass transport areas, such as hospitals, portable classrooms, dairy barns, chicken coops and meat processing facilities. The broader interest covers the computational and molecular modeling of bioaerosol transport and behavior, and the mitigation of their entrainment in ventilation airflow.
Media Contact
Kalyn Schieffer for Zeteo Tech