Biodetection in action - protecting people, preserving nature, sustaining our future
The University of Hertfordshire has been awarded a landmark £13.5 million grant - the largest in its history - by Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England (E3) Fund, to launch the Biodetection Technologies Hub. The Hub aims to transform global responses to airborne biological threats by addressing a critical gap in health and environmental security: real-time detection of bioaerosols.
Bioaerosols, airborne particles of biological origin such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, pollen, and toxins, are among the most complex and pervasive substances in our atmosphere. They are capable of transmitting disease, threatening food security, impacting respiratory health, and being weaponised. Moreover, they influence cloud formation and play a role in shaping climate.
Despite their significance, current detection technologies are underdeveloped and seldom deployed at scale. The urgency of this issue was underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed major shortcomings in bio-surveillance, hazard monitoring, and infection control.
The approach
The Biodetection Technologies Hub is developing cutting-edge systems that can detect and quantify bioaerosols in near real-time across a broad range of environments - from hospitals and farms to defence settings and the upper atmosphere. This work is guided by a vision to build healthier, safer, and more resilient environments by enabling rapid responses to invisible airborne threats.
The Hub is led by the University of Hertfordshire’s Wolfson Centre for Research in Biodetection Technologies and supported by a consortium of academic partners, including Cranfield University, the University of Leeds, and the University of Manchester. Together, they unite top researchers in engineering, aerosol science, microbiology, chemistry, atmospheric science, AI-driven analytics, and sensor innovation.
The impact
With five years of dedicated funding and close collaboration with industry, government, and international research bodies, the Hub is poised to deliver transformative advancements in real-time biodetection. By bridging the gap between research and practical application, it is redefining how societies monitor and respond to airborne biological threats, now and in the future.
The Biodetection Technologies Hub is developing cutting-edge detection systems that can rapidly identify and quantify bioaerosols across multiple environments, from hospitals and military settings to farms and high in the Earth’s atmosphere. The new Biodetection Technologies Hub website is a gateway to the transformative work we are doing in biodetection, acting as a portal for engaging with the wider scientific community, stakeholders, and the public to ensure that the Hub’s cutting-edge research is shared, understood and implemented to maximum effect.
Airborne pathogens pose a significant, yet often invisible, threat to our health and environment. Through this Hub, and now with the support of our online presence, we are accelerating the development of technologies that will enable near-real-time biodetection of airborne threats to support faster responses. Our goal is to create a safer, healthier and more sustainable world, and this is a major step toward that future.
Professor Ian Johnston,
Professor of Microfluidics and Biodetection, Director of the Biodetection Technologies Hub and Director of the Wolfson Centre for Biodetection and Instrumentation Research
For more details on the Biodetection Technologies Hub’s work, or to enquire about potential collaborations, visit the new website or contact Biodetection.
Professor Johnston
Professor of Microfluidics & Biodetection, Director of the Biodetection Technologies Hub, Director of the Wolfson Centre for Biodetection & Instrumentation Research
Professor Ian Johnston is the Director of the Biodetection Technologies Hub, Director of the Wolfson Centre for Biodetection & Instrumentation Research, and a founding member of the Microfluidics & Microengineering Research Group at the University of Hertfordshire.
Providing multidisciplinary research leadership to advance biodetection technologies, addressing critical challenges in biosecurity through innovative research and development. Spanning a range of application areas including microfluidic biological sample processing and detection technologies, antimicrobial nanomaterials for antiviral and antibacterial applications, bioaerosol collection and identification for the protection of plant, animal and human health.