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Joint Genome Institute Demonstrates Feasibility of Alveo Technologies’ Portable Molecular Testing Platform for Wastewater Pathogen Surveillance
The first phase evaluation underscores potential applications of portable and cost-effective cloud-connected molecular testing across population-level health challenges.
ALAMEDA, Calif. – [October 23, 2025] – Alveo Technologies, Inc. (Alveo), a leader in portable molecular sensing solutions, today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has completed a first-round evaluation of the Alveo Sense™ platform for wastewater-based pathogen monitoring. Using the Alveo’s Avian Influenza test as a case study, JGI researchers explored the feasibility of detecting pathogens directly from wastewater with a compact, cloud-connected platform, an approach with potential to support population-level surveillance across a range of pathogens.
Wastewater monitoring has gained momentum as a valuable tool for tracking infectious diseases, offering early indicators of trends and emerging variants. Existing methods often require centralized laboratories, complex sample processing, and longer turnaround times. Alveo’s palm-sized portable platform aims to generate quick, actionable results at the site of collection.
“Generating timely data from wastewater surveillance offers one pathway for researchers to better understand and rapidly respond to threats at the population health level. Wastewater provides a valuable window into how pathogens move through communities. At the JGI, we study diverse organisms and systems to uncover new insights that can help address critical challenges,” said Nigel Mouncey, JGI Director.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of wastewater as a reservoir of community health information was demonstrated in understanding the spread of disease. This same reservoir of community health information can be used to track other diseases,” said Helena Solo-Gabriele, Ph.D., P.E., Professor, University of Miami, College of Engineering. “As this field grows, innovations that can bring testing closer to the point of collection will be critical for strengthening public health preparedness.”
The evaluation highlights the potential for applying technologies like Alveo’s across a wide range of pathogens, building on proven advantages in avian influenza detection and extending into other infectious disease threats. The ability to bring molecular lab-quality testing closer to the source has implications not only for research purposes, but also for healthcare providers, regulators, and public health agencies tasked with rapid response.
“Assessing wastewater as a sample type for our platform opens the door to an optimized approach to population-level monitoring,” said Erik Tyrrell-Knott, Chief Business and Strategy Officer at Alveo Technologies. “Our goal is to decentralize surveillance, so communities, researchers, and health authorities gain faster access to reliable data that helps guide response and protect public health. We hope our platform will be utilized as ‘a trip-wire-like tool to monitor-detect-mitigate vs. detect-respond.’
Deploying our technology in this manner can help keep pathogen horses in the barn before they wreak havoc on populations.”
The JGI study marks an important step in expanding Alveo’s footprint beyond agricultural settings into environmental and public health applications. Future evaluations will continue to explore wastewater’s potential to serve as a sentinel sample type for global surveillance networks.
About Alveo
At Alveo Technologies, we are reshaping diagnostics for a healthier and more sustainable future. We are the first company to make molecular detection and diagnostics universally accessible – on the farm and in the field, clinic or manufacturing plant – helping to prevent or significantly limit the destructive impact of viruses, fungi, bacteria and other pathogens. By decentralizing molecular diagnostics across a broad range of industries, we are enabling rapid detection and decision making, timely action and better outcomes at the Point of Need™. Our portable, multiplex-capable diagnostic platform, Alveo Sense™, employs a patented method of direct electrical sensing of nucleic acid amplification to provide quick, affordable and accurate results. Through early pathogen detection, we help manage global animal and human health, food security, and supply chain resiliency by providing actionable insights at light speed. Know Sooner, Act Faster™ with Alveo. Follow us on LinkedIn.
