Massachusetts Ending Biobot Contract, Bringing Wastewater Surveillance In-House

Massachusetts is set to conclude its contract with Biobot Analytics, a company that pioneered wastewater surveillance as a public health tool, by July 31. The state plans to transition to an in-house testing program, a move officials believe will significantly reduce costs. The decision marks a shift from emergency pandemic response to routine public health monitoring, with the state aiming to build its own laboratory capacity.

Biobot Analytics, founded by two MIT graduates, rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing sewage to detect the spread of the virus days before clinical tests. This innovative approach provided early warnings for public health officials and became a crucial indicator for organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and various municipalities. However, the landscape of wastewater surveillance has evolved, with multiple companies and government agencies now participating.

The Massachusetts contract was valued at approximately $400,000 per month. By bringing testing in-house, state officials estimate the cost will be about one-quarter of that amount. Mariana Matus, Biobot's chief executive, expressed disappointment over the contract termination, calling it a "huge hit" for her company, but also suggesting it might be a strategic error for the state to forgo industry partnerships.

A New Era of Public Health Monitoring

While Biobot continues to serve numerous government clients and expand its broader surveillance programs for diseases and other health indicators, the trend is moving towards states developing their own capabilities. The CDC itself transitioned away from Biobot, awarding a contract in July 2023 to Verily, a Google-affiliated company, for its WastewaterSCAN initiative. This program, in partnership with Emory and Stanford universities, aims to capture a significant portion of the U.S. population through combined testing efforts.

Massachusetts officials, including State Epidemiologist Catherine Brown, noted that federal funding initially supported the establishment of external wastewater testing services. As the emergency phase of the pandemic subsided, federal priorities shifted, encouraging states to develop their own laboratory infrastructure. Massachusetts has been researching wastewater testing methodologies at its State Public Health Laboratory and anticipates launching its internal program in the fall.

The new state-run program will focus on diseases that are currently under-tested, such as COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and mpox. It will monitor 12 large municipal wastewater treatment facilities, a reduction from the 60 sites previously monitored under Biobot's contract. Each of the new sites will serve approximately 95,000 people, aiming to provide a representative overview of disease trends while optimizing resource allocation.

Biobot's technology, which utilizes metagenomic sequencing, can identify thousands of viruses and other microbes from a single sample. This advanced capability allows for the detection of a wide range of pathogens, including those related to tick-borne diseases and others beyond the scope of many state-run programs. Matus highlighted the company's ability to detect dangerous findings like Ebola or hantavirus, which would be reported directly to authorities.

Several other states, including Maine, Rhode Island, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Missouri, are also building or expanding their in-house wastewater surveillance programs, aligning with the federal government's push for domestic laboratory capacity. Matus views this trend positively, seeing it as a sign of the recognized importance of wastewater monitoring. However, she also cautioned that over-reliance on in-house operations could limit technological advancement compared to the pace of innovation within the private sector.

"To some extent, it brings independence from a private sector partner; however, I think that it’s a mistake to only do work in-house because then your technology cannot advance as fast as what the industry is going through," Matus stated. She emphasized that for the same cost, industry partners can often test for a broader array of pathogens than state-run labs might be equipped to handle.

Biobot's current offerings include a public dashboard tracking viruses such as measles, mpox, rubella, dengue, and Zika, alongside respiratory and gastrointestinal pathogens. The company continues its work with dozens of communities across 40 states, federal agencies, and vaccine manufacturers, underscoring its ongoing role in public health surveillance beyond its state contracts.