The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) is partnering with Kraken Sense, a leader in real-time pathogen detection devices, as part of a study funded in part by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to conduct tests on airport wastewater for Monkeypox and Omicron, a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Kraken Sense is testing multiple samples of wastewater at Toronto Pearson Airport using their technology to obtain quantitative results in under an hour without sacrificing the accuracy of results in contrast to traditional PCR technology, which can take multiple days to turnaround.

The KRAKEN pathogen detection device is completely autonomous, using automated real-time PCR technology to continuously monitor any liquid-based sample for bacteria and viruses for up to three targets at a time. The KRAKEN device can be programmed to automatically draw raw samples into the device at a desired frequency while performing all sample preparation and analysis autonomously on the device. Quantified results are uploaded onto the cloud for long-term monitoring of samples. With strain-specific capabilities, the KRAKEN can identify the exact variant present in a sample. As such, there is potential to provide health authorities with a clear picture of the strains present in wastewater effluent from airport terminals and aircrafts.

Wastewater monitoring is crucial to early detection, as infected individuals can shed pathogens before showing symptoms. With Kraken Sense's technology, quantified results are available in real time, providing quick and accurate identification of multiple COVID-19 strains. Since the KRAKEN tests cumulative wastewater from airplanes and terminals, testing is non-intrusive and does not slow down passenger traffic at the airports.

Rapid detection can provide an advance warning of a possible epidemic. Wastewater monitoring is vital to identifying infectious disease threats before they compromise public health, and KRAKEN is the first fully autonomous real-time pathogen detection platform that can provide continuous monitoring for potential pathogen surges, providing information that has the potential to support public health efforts.