Description

Spend an evening with Founder Mariana Matus exploring both the science of Biobot and the hurdles that had to be overcome after Biobot’s founding as an MIT spinout in 2017. Learn how Biobot moved from being the MIT Underworlds project no one had heard of, to a company that over the past two years has galvanized media interest, raised nearly $30 million of venture capital, and grown from 5 to 60 employees.

The Covid pandemic allowed Biobot to prove that analysis of sewage at the wastewater treatment plant level enables population-level surveillance of disease trends and virus mutations. To quote Bloomberg “wastewater epidemiology changed from being an obscure niche area of science to becoming a central pillar of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Wastewater contains valuable information about the health of communities. Biobot collects it. Biobot analyzes it. Biobot tells you how to leverage it to make your city better.

Because people shed the virus in their stool before they test positive, Biobot’s data are often a leading indicator of where the infection is heading, arriving ahead of public health case counts by 10-12 days. It’s inclusive (even when people fail to get tested or see a doctor, they still poop); it’s dynamic (it takes just a few hours for human waste to travel through the sewer system); and it’s inherently private (everybody’s contribution gets aggregated into the stream).

Biobot has provided sewage virus data to more than 700 cities, towns, and institutions. Biobot’s mission is to transform wastewater infrastructure into public health observatories.

Inspired by the potential of wastewater epidemiology, Biobot is the first company in the world to commercialize data from sewage. Can it figure out how to track cancer, diabetes, and even new contagious diseases next?

Participants must register by Noon on May 11th to receive details on joining the discussion. The Zoom link will be sent out 24 hours before the event.

Please note that no refunds will be issued.