Biobot Analytics Founders Mariana Matus and Newsha Ghaeli on “How I Built This”

This content first appeared in NPR's “How I Built This”

Biobot Analytics, a startup accelerated by MITdesignX, was featured on NPR's “How I Built This” podcast. The two founders developed cutting-edge technology to transform sewers into public health observatories. The company’s first product was to measure drug metabolites in sewage to estimate opioid consumption in cities. With this data, local government can assess the scope of the opioid epidemic, allocate resources and gauge effectiveness over time.

Oct 12, 2023

Biobot Analytics founders Mariana Matus and Newsha Ghaeli first met in a poop lab. Yep, you read that correctly...

Their company has been working with government and corporate clients since 2017 to analyze disease levels and other biomarkers in our wastewater. Their insights have been used to predict spikes in Covid and other infections, help local officials address drug use in their communities, and much more.

Biobot Analytics co-founders Mariana Matus (L) and Newsha Ghaeli (R) in their lab in Somerville, MA.
Photo: courtesy of Biobot Analytics

On the February 9, episode 489 of “How I Built This,” Mariana and Newsha talk with Guy Raz about the innovation that can happen at the intersection of disciplines — Mariana is a scientist from Mexico, Newsha an architect from Canada. The women also share their vision for a future where cities better leverage the ‘data centers’ of our sewers to address chronic health issues and prepare for future pandemics. Biobot Analytics was accelerated by MITdesignX.

Listen to the podcast.