Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) awarded a $306,585 Project Grant to Biota Inc. on July 1, 2026, under the Environmental Health program (CFDA 93.113) to develop an automated nanoparticle workflow system for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) monitoring. The solution addresses critical analytical bottlenecks in current solid-phase extraction (SPE) methods by integrating advanced nanoparticle chemistry with a high-throughput magnetic handling system to streamline PFAS isolation and concentration. The resulting platform is designed to process 90 samples in under one hour with minimal operator involvement (less than 10 minutes), achieving dramatic reductions in time, cost, and analytical variability compared to conventional methods that require 6-12 weeks and exceed $500 per sample.

This Phase I project, to be completed by June 30, 2027, will establish the feasibility of the automated platform for water and wastewater analysis while demonstrating compatibility with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory performance criteria. The technology aims to make high-quality PFAS testing accessible to more laboratories and communities, enabling faster decision-making by utilities, regulators, and remediation professionals who require timely analytical data to protect public health in response to increasing PFAS contamination and new EPA regulations requiring maximum contaminant level monitoring.