{"id":372621,"date":"2026-05-20T10:26:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/?p=372621"},"modified":"2026-05-20T10:26:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:26:34","slug":"dna-sequencing-technology-for-detecting-airborne-pathogens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/?p=372621","title":{"rendered":"DNA Sequencing Technology for Detecting Airborne Pathogens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matt Clark first envisioned the notion of collecting biological substances from the air as a \u2018quirky idea\u2019 during his time at the Earlham Institute (EI) in Norwich, UK. Over the last 12 years, in collaboration with Richard Leggett at the EI, he has honed this concept, resulting in the development of a portable air sampling technology called AirSeq. This innovative technology is part of a collaborative spin-out venture, Agnos Biosciences<\/a>, where Clark presently continues his research at the Natural History Museum in London.<\/p>\n

The AirSeq device, which can be borrowed by clients, is crafted for portability, enabling users to gather biological samples in the field by pulling air through the device for an hour and collecting samples on a filter. After returning to the lab, DNA from these filters undergoes extraction and purification, and the analysis is completed in roughly 90 minutes through nanopore sequencing. This method involves threading DNA strands through minuscule protein pores within a membrane, with each DNA base producing a unique electrical signal that results in a readout. Leggett foresees the potential for onsite processing with the assistance of their clients, thus removing the need to send samples by post.<\/p>\n

AirSeq sets itself apart from other techniques, which frequently focus only on identifying readily recognizable genes, by sequencing the entire DNA that has been captured. This all-encompassing method is supported by a software tool referred to as MARTi (metagenomic analysis in real time), along with an algorithm tailored to reduce false positives in species or gene identification. Their research primarily targets the implementation of this technology in agricultural settings for the identification of airborne crop pathogens. Clark emphasizes the technology’s ability to recognize not just the species present, like bacteria, but also to analyze the toxins or antibiotic resistances found within their genomes. Additionally, the technology has the flexibility to identify a variety of biological materials, from pollen and fungi to viruses, and is capable of processing DNA samples from swabs, liquids, and solids.<\/p>\n

Clark imagines utilizing this technology in multiple scenarios, including the surveillance of surgical theaters to maintain sterility after operations, the upkeep of clean-room conditions, the enforcement of biosecurity, and within the food manufacturing sector, particularly concerning ready-to-eat food items.<\/p>\n

The creation of AirSeq was originally backed by funding from the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency through the SIGMA+ project<\/a>, which aims to detect biological threats. Additional financial support has been obtained from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council in the UK. Furthermore, the Natural History Museum has gained from philanthropic donations, facilitating the transition of this technology from an academic context to commercialization. Clark recognizes the institution’s initiatives to expand its funding sources, promoting financial diversification to reduce risk.<\/p>\n

In the future, Leggett and Clark hope to progress beyond AirSeq\u2019s current capabilities. While the existing DNA pipeline provides a robust foundation, sequencing RNA from the air is more intricate due to the developing state of RNA technology and the lower RNA concentrations in samples, which affects signal quality. Clark points out that successful RNA analysis could have profound implications for respiratory disease studies, including viruses such as Covid-19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matt Clark first envisioned the notion of collecting biological substances from the air as a \u2018quirky idea\u2019 during his time at the Earlham Institute (EI) in Norwich, UK. Over the last 12 years, in collaboration with Richard Leggett at the EI, he has honed this concept, resulting in the development of a portable air sampling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[174],"class_list":["post-372621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-source-chemistryworld-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=372621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/372622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=372621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=372621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wolfscientific.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=372621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}