The world today is presented with many dangerous biological threats, both naturally occurring and nefariously concocted, with recent prime examples being E. coli, group A Streptococcus, Rift Valley fever virus, Ebola virus, and Bacillus anthracis.

Homeland security and first responders can benefit when unique technology and unique technology transfer methodology combine to help effective products rapidly enter the market, allowing a quick reaction to new and emerging threats.

BaDx was created at Sandia National Laboratories as a lab-in-a-pocket device to sample, sense, and diagnose bacteria that cause anthrax in environments with no power, refrigerated storage, or laboratory equipment. At the same time, it was designed to be used with minimal or no training and to keep handlers safe. BaDx is the first product of its kind to meet all of these requirements, and with a target cost of less than $10.

BaDx is the first product of its kind to meet all of these requirements, and with a target cost of less than $10.

Developed at Sandia and with several key pieces of intellectual property secured, the technology was transferred to two companies: NIMA Ventures and Aquila. Working under nondisclosure and test and evaluation agreements, the technology was evaluated from the perspectives of manufacturing, commercialization, research and development, and intellectual property generation.

The first BaDx product order was delivered by Aquila, and four other projects involving Sandia, Aquila, and NIMA are currently in process. As the BaDx device technology can be modified to handle other dangerous biological threats such as Ebola, Rift Valley fever, group A Streptococcus, Salmonella, and E. coli, the technology transfer process has been streamlined to move the research from the labs to manufactured products quickly so the technology can be as useful as intended.