Toxic-test kit to be unveiled at tech conference

By: BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer | Monday, March 13, 2006 8:18 PM PST ∞

CARLSBAD ---- To develop the most modern technology for detecting contaminated water, Assure Bioassay Controls reached back 3.5 billion years.

The Carlsbad company is getting ready to sell a contamination test kit using bioluminescent oceanic plankton whose origins stretch back almost to the dawn of life on Earth.

Assure Bioassay will present its technology as a finalist in the World's Best Technology Showcase. The event, to be held March 27-29 at the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, will highlight promising new technologies before investors. Bryan Bjorndal, founder and president of the company, will be making the presentation of the "QwikLite Testing System."

On March 1, Bjorndal, who had developed the technology from his home office in Carlsbad, sublet office space to prepare the QwikLite system for commercialization. Now he's honing his presentation, with the assistance of coaches, to present his opportunity at the conference. He'll have 10 minutes.

"Wednesday is my third coaching panel," Bjorndal said. "I'll be on a conference call, I'm timed, they're watching a live show."

Last year, one third of presenting companies got funded at or shortly after the conference, Bjorndal said, a very respectable percentage. That's because the companies selected to present have already proven their technology works, so commercialization is the main hurdle, he said.

"I may find the partner I need at this meeting," he said. "Right now, the product's coming together this week. We're field-testing it in just a few weeks and (plan) shipments in 45 to 60 days. The timing couldn't be better."

Bjorndal founded the company last year on technology developed by the U.S. Navy around the plankton, technically called dinoflagellates. He acquired a license to commercialize the technology and developed a briefcase-sized device to make it portable.

QwikLite's premise is simple: dangerous contaminants will harm the bioluminescent phytoplankton, packed in small cartridges. This in turn reduces the amount of light the plankton produces, which is detected by the machine.

Here's how it works: Suspected contaminants are fed into the cartridges. The machine measures the level of light produced, as well as how long the plankton survive. The machine, which must be hooked up to a laptop or handheld computer to function, will cost about $2,000 and runs on two standard nine-volt batteries, Bjorndal said. The test cartridges will cost about $300 each.

The test cartridges can last for four to six weeks before use as long as they are exposed to light so they can photosynthesize, Bjorndal said. That's much longer than the hours-long life span of bioluminescent bacteria, he said.

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at bfikes@nctimes.com or (760) 739-6641.

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