Researchers Named to Advance IAQ, Smart Buildings

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), named the research and development teams receiving awards from the Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total Health (BREATHE) program.

BREATHE aims to advance the next generation of smart and healthy buildings by developing integrated systems that provide continuous measurement and risk assessment of indoor air quality (IAQ) and deploy real-time interventions, such as enhanced ventilation or disinfection, to mitigate airborne threats to human health.

Poor IAQ exacerbates chronic diseases, such as asthma and allergies, and is a leading cause of preventable respiratory illnesses, including the flu. Rather than only treating illness after it occurs, BREATHE aims to create healthier indoor environments that prevent disease, improve productivity, and enhance quality of life for everyone.

“BREATHE will revolutionize public health by greatly advancing our ability to detect and address indoor air quality threats like never before,” said Jason Roos, Ph.D., ARPA-H acting director. “ARPA-H’s investment has the potential to bring about the next generation of smart buildings, making sure indoor air is always clean and healthy.”

The agency’s initial total commitment to these teams is up to US$156 million during the next five years.  Other Transactions Agreements (not procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements) vary in funding amount per awardee and are contingent upon each team meeting aggressive and accelerated milestones.

“Today, most buildings can’t see what’s in their air, allowing harmful allergens and pathogens to circulate unnoticed,” said BREATHE Program Manager Jessica Green, Ph.D. “BREATHE innovators are closing the gap, so buildings actively protect occupants instead of amplifying risk.”

BREATHE’s teams are led by:

• Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, which is developing a biosensor based on microfluidic droplet CRISPR technology. The team will apply cutting-edge technologies, such as agent-based models and digital twin models, to assess the risk of people contracting illnesses indoors. The team will demonstrate its technology in emergency departments at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida.
• Poppy Health Inc., Winter Park, Florida, which is developing an amplification-free genetic sensor that sends a tiny electrical signal when it detects a target microbe in the air, allowing buildings to respond accordingly.  The team will demonstrate their technology in 60 U.S. schools to protect children and staff from getting sick indoors.
• SafeTraces Inc., Pleasanton, California, which is developing a novel microarray qPCR biosensor that utilizes a unique positional printing method to detect a broad spectrum of microbes. The team will develop software that triggers a new operating mode for buildings when risk levels are high, including deploying their technology in Defense Health Administration Medical Centers to protect vulnerable patients from airborne illnesses.
• Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, which is developing a new biosensor that enables real-time, ultrasensitive detection of specific pathogens and allergens using nanobody-based technology. The project will also deliver software that translates data from the biosensor, building, community, and environment into respiratory risk, as well as tools to optimize proven interventions that reduce bioaerosol concentrations and maintain healthy conditions. The team will demonstrate their technology across multiple daycare centers.

For more information on BREATHE, visit the program page.