Fieldstone Bio: Engineering Microbes to Sense the Invisible World, Raises $5 Million
Fieldstone Bio: Engineering Microbes to Sense the Invisible World, Raises $5 Million
We live in an age of unprecedented data collection. Satellites beam down images of our planet, and environmental sensors diligently monitor various conditions. Yet, vast amounts of information remain hidden, just beyond our reach. Fieldstone Bio, a pioneering startup, believes the solution lies in harnessing the remarkable sensing capabilities of microbes.
“They’ve evolved to sense and respond to information. It’s just trillions of calculations going on at all times all around us,” explains Brandon Fields, co-founder and chief science officer of Fieldstone Bio. “How do we take that and actually manipulate that to gain benefits for us?”
Fieldstone Bio’s groundbreaking technology stems from this very question. Spun out of MIT in 2023, the company builds upon research conducted in Professor Chris Voigt’s lab. Voigt’s team developed a method for transforming microbes into highly sensitive sensors, capable of detecting a wide range of substances. These engineered microbes change color upon encountering a target compound, allowing for visual detection.
From Lab to Field: Visualizing the Invisible
The core innovation lies in the ability to visualize these microbial sensors from a distance. “The key technology out of Chris’ lab is this idea of, ‘How do we actually visualize these cells from really far away?’” Fields explains. This ability to remotely detect microbial activity opens up a wealth of possibilities for environmental monitoring and beyond.
Fieldstone Bio has secured $5 million in seed funding, led by Ubiquity Ventures, with participation from E14 and LDV Capital. This funding will enable the company to transition from laboratory testing to real-world deployments of its microbial sensors.
How It Works: A Symphony of Microbes, Drones, and AI
Fieldstone Bio’s approach is multi-faceted, combining the power of synthetic biology, drone technology, and artificial intelligence.
- Targeted Microbes: Each microbial strain is meticulously engineered to detect a specific compound. Whether it’s nitrogen levels in agricultural fields or TNT residue from landmines, the microbes are tailored to the task.
- Environmental Isolation: The process begins with isolating microbes from the target environment. “We isolate microbes from the environments we want to sense,” says Fields. This ensures the microbes are well-suited to the specific conditions.
- DNA Engineering: Next, the team constructs DNA sensors, which are then inserted into the isolated microbes. The best-performing microbes, those that exhibit the most robust and long-lasting sensing capabilities, are selected for further development.
- Drone Deployment: Once the engineered microbes are ready, they are deployed over the target area using drones. This allows for broad and efficient coverage.
- Hyperspectral Imaging: After the microbes have had time to interact with their environment (ranging from hours to days, depending on the target), another drone equipped with a hyperspectral camera captures images of the area. Hyperspectral cameras are far more sophisticated than conventional cameras, dividing visible and infrared light into hundreds of different colors.
- AI-Powered Analysis: The hyperspectral images generate vast amounts of data. Fieldstone Bio uses AI models to analyze this data and identify the unique light signature emitted by the engineered microbes. This allows them to create detailed heatmaps showing the distribution and concentration of the target compound.
Applications Across Industries
The potential applications of Fieldstone Bio’s technology are vast and span multiple sectors:
- Agriculture: By detecting nutrient levels in soil, Fieldstone’s microbes can help farmers optimize fertilizer application, reducing waste and improving crop yields.
- National Security: The ability to detect TNT residue from landmines could significantly accelerate and improve demining efforts, saving lives and making land safer.
- Environmental Monitoring: Fieldstone’s microbes can be engineered to detect a wide range of environmental contaminants, such as arsenic. This allows for precise mapping of contamination zones, enabling targeted cleanup efforts. According to CEO Patrick Stone, the technology offers much higher resolution compared to traditional methods. “Instead of going to do core soil samples over every 100 feet — and then you have 100 foot resolution — we could get a one-inch resolution and really map out exactly where they need to go clean up stuff,” he said.
Addressing Concerns About Gene Editing
The use of gene-edited microbes in open environments naturally raises concerns about potential environmental impacts. Fieldstone Bio is acutely aware of these concerns and is committed to responsible development and deployment of its technology. The company is working closely with the EPA to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations.
The Future: Sensing Without Sensors
Fieldstone Bio envisions a future where the need to deploy engineered microbes is minimized. Over time, the company aims to build a comprehensive database that correlates environmental signals with the data returned by its microbes. This would allow AI models to directly detect target compounds using hyperspectral data alone, eliminating the need for microbial deployment.
“Eventually, you don’t need to apply the microbe at all,” Fields said. “You have drones, planes, and satellites now collecting information about chemical information on a global scale.”
Conclusion
Fieldstone Bio’s innovative approach to environmental sensing holds immense promise. By harnessing the power of engineered microbes, drone technology, and AI, the company is poised to revolutionize how we monitor and manage our environment, with applications ranging from agriculture to national security. With its recent seed funding, Fieldstone Bio is well-positioned to translate its groundbreaking technology into real-world impact, paving the way for a future where the invisible world becomes visible.
Source: TechCrunch
