On July 19, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the award of 21 Small Business Environmental Technology Grants, including one to AAPlasma, LLC in Philadelphia.

AAPlasma, LLC, located at the Pennovation Center in Philadelphia, will use the EPA’s SBIR funding opportunity, with the support of Drexel University’s Nyheim Plasma Institute, to further develop a wastewater treatment technology that offers better public health protection from major factors that lead to antimicrobial risks.

According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats to global health. 

Antimicrobial resistance refers to the natural ability of bacteria and other microbes to develop resistance to the medicines we use to treat them, and the process is accelerated by inappropriate or excessive use of pharmaceutical products designed to kill unwanted pathogens in humans, animals and crops. In particular, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human and animal health is fueling resistance. 

“The EPA SBIR program allows small businesses, like AAPlasma LLC, to put out-of-the-box ideas to the test that could potentially revolutionize the way we approach some of the greatest environmental challenges we face today,” said Charles Bailey, Chief Operations Officer for AAPlasma.  “We at AAPlasma believe our technology can soon be used to affordably and effectively treat wastewater from various sources that are prone to containing antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and rendering it completely safe for reuse. We have the SBIR program to thank for kicking off this possibility."

Click Here for more information on the AAPlasma research project.

Click Here for more information on EPA’s SBIR Phase I recipients.  Click Here to learn more about EPA’s SBIR program.

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[Posted: July 19, 2019]

7/22/2019