Bluephage, the new spin-off of the University of Barcelona

The availability of quality water has been a worldwide priority concern for over a century. The main focus of such concern is preventing the transmission of water related diseases. Advances in technology and scientific knowledge are being constantly applied to both water treatment and quality and safety analysis. It is in this context that Bluephage is born. The new spin-off of the University of Barcelona aims to provide better tools to analyse the microbiological quality of water through the use of bacteriophages.

Bluephage will produce and commercialize a new kit that will allow the detection and quantification of the viral contamination of water through the determination of bacteriophages, a type of virus that only infects bacteria and is harmless to humans. At present, the water regulations of several countries are including the measurement of bacteriophages as a parameter of control of the microbiological quality of water. It is precisely in this scenario where this easy to use new procedure is of great interest.

The creation of this company is based on a method to detect bacteriophages in water samples developed by researchers from the Research Group on Health Related Water Microbiology (MARS) of the University of Barcelona. In addition to detecting viral contamination in water, this new method is applicable to the microbiological control of foodstuffs and products derived from other industrial sectors. 

The FBG has assessed the company's entrepreneurs in the definition of the business idea, the evaluation of the patentability strategy, and the negotiation of the technology transfer contract.