High-tech Poop Analysis to Improve Public Health

ur poop, it turns out, contains a trove of useful health data, such as what viruses, bacteria and drugs are soon to become public health concerns. But getting at that data requires detecting extremely low quantities of drugs and viruses.

Matus and Ghaeli have developed highly-sensitive technology that can not only detect small levels but also tease out subtle insights from the data. For instance, it can distinguish between opioids that people have taken versus those they’ve flushed down the toilet. The technology has proven invaluable in giving officials early warning of disease outbreaks or rises in drug abuse, making it possible to target tests or treatments where they’re needed. It also provides a more complete picture of what an area is experiencing than other health surveillance and diagnosis techniques. “Everyone has a voice in the sewer, where even hardly reached and underserved populations can be taken into account, without bias,” says Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Matus and Ghaeli’s company, Biobot Analytics, has analyzed the wastewater of 98 million Americans. It has been instrumental in identifying surges in COVID-19 before testing results are in. Over the summer, Biobot worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to sample more than 350 communities in 50 states and is actively testing in 140 communities, up from an initial seven in 2020. The company has also helped the World Bank establish wastewater analysis in Latin America. —K.r.