HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — CFD Research has been awarded a $1.3 million contract from the U.S. Army to advance the development of a rapid, portable system for detecting harmful foodborne and waterborne pathogens in low-resource environments.
Food and water contamination remain major concerns for both military operations and public health, particularly in field environments where access to laboratory testing is limited. Current testing methods often require specialized equipment, trained personnel, and lengthy processing times, creating delays in identifying dangerous pathogens and responding to potential outbreaks.
To address this challenge, CFD Research is developing FieldPath ID, a compact sample-to-answer platform designed to quickly identify pathogens from food and water samples without the need for complex laboratory infrastructure. The portable system is being designed to process a variety of sample types including water, strawberries, spinach, and ground beef, delivering results in approximately two hours.
The technology combines a custom fluidic cartridge with shelf-stable molecular detection assays to provide a simple, easy-to-use platform capable of identifying pathogens such as E. coli, Norovirus, and Giardia. The system is also designed to operate without external power requirements, making it especially valuable for remote environments, emergency response situations, and military field operations.
“Rapid and reliable pathogen detection is critical for protecting both public health and operational readiness,” said Emily Kight, Principal Investigator and Senior Research Engineer in the Biotechnology & Life Sciences division at CFD Research. “FieldPath ID is designed to provide a practical, portable solution that enables faster decision-making in environments where traditional laboratory testing isn’t feasible.”
Building on successful early-stage demonstrations, the current effort will focus on integrating the platform’s sample preparation, detection, and readout capabilities into a fully functional prototype. The team will also benchmark the system against gold-standard laboratory testing methods to validate performance and reliability.
The completed prototype is expected to support a wide range of future applications in food safety, water quality monitoring, and field-based diagnostics, helping improve detection capabilities in both civilian and defense settings.
*This material is based upon work supported by the Army Futures Command: Combat Capabilities Development Command, Natick Contracting Division, Natick, MA under Contract No W911QY25C0018.
Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Army Futures Command: Combat Capabilities Development Command, Natick Contracting Division, Natick, MA.
About CFD Research:
Founded in 1987, CFD Research is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) engineering and technology firm specializing in advanced capabilities across hypersonics, artificial intelligence & machine learning (AI/ML), sensing, power & energy, electronics, health & human performance, and space. The company develops and commercializes cutting-edge multi-physics simulation software, component and system technology prototypes, multidisciplinary analyses, and expert support services. This work has earned multiple national awards, along with recognition on the Inc. 5000 list six times in the past seven years. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, with facilities in Dayton, OH, Hollywood, AL, and Fort Walton Beach, FL, CFD Research is CMMC Level 2 Enterprise Certified, ISO 9001:AS9100D registered, and CMMI Level II appraised for Services. Learn more at www.cfd-research.com.
