Welsh university to expand wastewater surveillance program following partnership deal

Bangor University has announced a partnership with the health technology company Verily, which will see its innovative wastewater surveillance program expanded across the United Kingdom and Europe.

Since its inception in 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangor’s wastewater lab has become a leader in environmental bio-surveillance in the U.K.

The university’s lab also serves as the research and development hub for the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The lab, led by Davey Jones, Ph.D, a noted Professor of Environmental Science & Public Health and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor at Bangor University, will adopt Verily’s advanced wastewater testing technology to deliver high-quality public health data, crucial for tracking virus transmission and bolstering research and development efforts across both the public and private sectors.

Human pathogens

With this collaboration, the lab will extend its testing service capabilities to a wide range of human pathogens, including Norovirus, Influenza viruses, MPXV, SARS-CoV-2, antimicrobial resistant bacteria, and fungi.

The lab will also accelerate new applications, including environmental testing. Professor Jones and his team will continue to lead operations in the Bangor University laboratory, in partnership with Verily.

“Our partnership with Bangor University is an exciting advancement in Verily’s mission to establish an international pathogen monitoring network as we expand our capabilities to Europe,” Andrew Trister, MD, PhD, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at Verily, said.

“This collaboration enables our combined expertise to unlock assays more quickly and monitor for new pathogen targets that protect public health and foster safer, healthier communities worldwide.”

‘World-class science’

Professor Davey Jones added: “Verily’s wastewater solutions and expanded pathogen database will amplify our ability to monitor for and respond to public health threats effectively.”

“Together, we are integrating world-class science with advanced technology to deliver critical public health data to the U.K. and beyond.”

Verily currently collaborates with leading U.S.-based public health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and WastewaterSCAN, to provide wastewater testing services to track the presence of over 15 pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and the H5 sub-type, and MPXV (formerly known as monkeypox virus) in wastewater samples from hundreds of sites across the United States.