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Deepverge PLC (LON:DVRG) said its Labskin arm has been selected by the US national intelligence office to help develop new ways to evaluate radiation exposure in civilians and the military.
The company will get US$810,000 over a three-year period, starting immediately, for its work in developing technology for minimally invasive radiation testing in a programme known as TEI-REX, standing for targeted evaluation of ionizing radiation exposure.
Labskin will be part of a multidisciplinary consortium set up by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the research and development arm of the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which also includes professors and scientists from the University of Columbia, Georgetown University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, American Type Culture Collection, and researchers from ARETE Associates, a defence contractor specialising in sensing solution and machine learning algorithms.
The TEI-REX program aims to establish novel approaches for evaluation of individuals or organisms exposed to low-dose ionizing radiation or ‘biodosimetry’, according to IARPA’s website, which it says will be accomplished through analysis of samples collected minimally or non-invasively, to include hair, skin, sweat, and saliva.
Radiation biodosimetry technologies are designed to measure the amount of biological effect or damage to biological tissues from ionizing radiation
A new biodosimetry standard developed by the consortium could be applied to maintain the safety of military and civilian populations working or living in close proximity to ionizing radiation sources, such as: nuclear plants, nuclear vessels, ammunition, etc.
Deepverge said Labskin, coupled with its Skin Trust Club's expertise in skin research and microbiology, is “essential for the project” as it will create a simple non-invasive swab test to collect signatures from the skin surface that allows machine learning algorithms to detect and quantify the impact of any amount of radiation exposure on the skin microbiome.
Labskin is a 3D human skin equivalent test platform that is used to prove the impact of skincare product claims in healthcare, life sciences, skin microbiome clinical trials, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
David Caballero-Lima, chief scientist at Labskin, said the same technique can also be applied to detect the impact of pollution or a variety of chemicals on the environment, and could also be used to detect exposure in complex ecological systems such as the soil, crops or sediments.
“This is a unique opportunity to revolutionise the way we test for radiation exposure. Labskin and Skin Trust Club are at the forefront of an increasing number of cutting edge technologies that are changing our world,” he said.
Colin O'Sullivan, Labskin’s chief information officer, said, “the inclusion of artificial intelligence and the opportunity to work with ARETE Associates, with their vast experience in complex AI applications, will result in further advances in how AI can be used in conjunction with our skin model at scale”.
He noted that the project coincides with the expansion of Labskin’s US labs in Delaware, which will assist in the implementation of what is expected to be a large project.
“We believe our proven ability to transition technology to the field with Skin Trust Club will be invaluable as we progress this project," he said.