Fieldstone Bio: Microbial Sensors for TNT, Arsenic & More

Harnessing Microbial Intelligence for Environmental Monitoring

A vast amount of data concerning our planet is continuously gathered through satellites and environmental sensors. However, significant gaps in our understanding remain. Fieldstone Bio proposes that utilizing microbes could bridge these observational limitations.

Brandon Fields, co-founder and chief science officer of Fieldstone Bio, explained to TechCrunch, “Microbes have developed the capacity to perceive and react to information. This represents an immense number of computations occurring constantly around us.” He further questioned, “How can we leverage this capability to generate advantages for ourselves?”

From Lab Discovery to Real-World Application

Fieldstone’s core technology originated from this inquiry. The company was established in 2023 as a spin-off from MIT. Professor Chris Voigt’s laboratory had pioneered a method for transforming microbes into sophisticated sensors.

These microbes are genetically programmed to exhibit a visible color change upon detecting specific substances, ranging from essential nutrients in soil to concealed landmines. Subsequently, methods were developed to effectively identify these changes.

Fields emphasized, “The pivotal technology stemming from Chris’ lab centers on the question of, ‘How do we effectively visualize these cells from considerable distances?’”

Securing Seed Funding for Expanded Testing

Fieldstone Bio has recently secured $5 million in seed funding. Ubiquity Ventures led the round, with participation from E14 and LDV Capital, as exclusively reported to TechCrunch.

Currently, the startup is conducting laboratory tests of its technology. This new funding will facilitate real-world trials of these microbial sensors.

Customized Microbes for Targeted Detection

Each microbial strain is specifically engineered to detect a particular compound. Examples include nitrogen levels in agricultural fields or traces of TNT from landmines.

“We isolate microbes from the specific environments we intend to monitor,” Fields stated. “We construct our sensors – the DNA components – and introduce them into various microbial hosts to determine which perform optimally and exhibit the greatest longevity.”

Deployment and Data Acquisition

Once prepared, the microbes will be dispersed using drone technology. Following a sensing period – varying from several hours to days depending on the target substance – another drone will capture images of the area.

These images will not resemble standard aerial photographs. Instead, a hyperspectral camera will be employed. This technology divides light into up to 600 distinct colors, encompassing both visible and infrared spectra.

Because Fieldstone’s microbes reflect light at a unique wavelength, AI models can be trained to identify these signals within the extensive data stream.

The Power of Artificial Intelligence

“This is where the strength of AI becomes apparent,” Fields explained. “It allows us to extract these subtle signals and generate detailed heat maps illustrating the microbial sensing of the environment.”

Diverse Applications Beyond Agriculture and Security

In addition to applications in agriculture and national security, Fieldstone is also developing microbes capable of detecting environmental pollutants like arsenic, according to CEO Patrick Stone.

“Rather than collecting core soil samples every 100 feet – resulting in 100-foot resolution – we could achieve one-inch resolution and precisely map areas requiring remediation,” Stone said.

Addressing Concerns Regarding Genetic Modification

The use of gene-edited microbial sensors is likely to attract scrutiny from those opposed to genetic modification. Fields confirmed that the company is proactively engaging with the EPA to ensure full regulatory compliance.

Future Potential: Predictive Environmental Mapping

Fields envisions that, over time, the company’s accumulated data will be substantial enough to train models that correlate other environmental signals with the data returned by the microbes.

This would enable hyperspectral cameras to detect contaminants, such as arsenic, without the need to deploy the engineered microbes. “Ultimately, the application of the microbe itself will become unnecessary,” Fields stated.

“Drones, airplanes, and satellites are already gathering information about chemical compositions on a global scale.”