Smiths Detection Announces University of Maryland, Baltimore County Successfully Deploys BioFlash for Airborne Detection of SARS-CoV-2
13.4.2021 14:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Smiths Detection, a global leader in threat detection and security screening technologies, today announces that its BioFlash® Biological Identifier has been successfully used by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to identify airborne SARS-CoV-2 inside their campus in real-time at the point of testing.
As part of their mitigation strategy for COVID-19, UMBC’s Environmental Safety and Health (ESH) team have been using BioFlash across the campus. In one instance, the airborne detector was deployed to help the campus community safely re-enter a research facility after a person working there tested positive. After multiple tests performed on the BioFlash ruled-out the presence of airborne SARS-CoV-2, the ESH team deemed the facility contamination-free, allowing staff and students to safely return and research to continue without significant pause.
In a separate instance, in a collaborative effort with the UMBC Sports Medicine Department, a test conducted in a team locker room resulted in a positive environmental detection on the BioFlash. This detection ultimately led UMBC to test all people present for COVID-19, identifying three infected individuals. This helped prevent further spread of the virus.
“We are delighted to see what we believe is a world-first for our technology. BioFlash, with its real-time results capability, has been used by UMBC in a real-world setting to successfully confirm the presence or absence of COVID-19 in the air and inform health and safety protocols,” said Smiths Detection President Roland Carter. “We have been working incredibly hard to provide a tool that will support the ongoing fight against COVID-19, and these applications demonstrate the role BioFlash can play in virus mitigation strategies.”
“The BioFlash system has helped us to prevent the spread of the virus in our on-campus community. We are also pleased that this tool to protect the health and safety of people on our campus is easy to use and environmentally friendly,” said Lynne Schaefer, UMBC Vice President for Administration and Finance. “We will be using this solution as part of a larger mitigation strategy, alongside other important tools like sanitation, masks, regular testing, physical distancing, and symptom monitoring.”
BioFlash works by collecting and analysing air samples using sensitive, selective and rapid detection technology to identify the presence of dangerous pathogens onsite without the need to involve a laboratory. Following successful internal testing, Smiths Detection has been engaged in various external studies to further verify the SARS-CoV-2 detection capability, including working with the USAMRIID, which verified that BioFlash could identify SARS-CoV-2 in a laboratory setting.
The BioFlash Biological Identifier is available now.
ENDS
About BioFlash Biological Identifier
The BioFlash® Biological Identifier is a bio-aerosol collection and identification system that provides rapid, sensitive and specific identification of various pathogens including viruses, toxins and bacteria. The BioFlash has been commercially available for over 10 years and is currently used by US government and commercial clients for a number of applications.
About Smiths Detection
Smiths Detection, part of Smiths Group, is a global leader in threat detection and screening technologies for aviation, ports and borders, defence and urban security markets. Our experience and history across more than 40 years at the frontline enables us to deliver the solutions needed to protect society from the threat and illegal passage of explosives, prohibited weapons, contraband, toxic chemicals and narcotics.
For more information visit http://www.smithsdetection.com/
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210413005091/en/
Contact information
FTI Consulting:
Tom Hufton/Georgina Reeves
sc.smithsdetection@fticonsulting.com
+44 (0)20 3727 1000
Smiths Detection:
Sophie Mills
Communications Manager
sophie.mills@smithsdetection.com
+ 44 (0)7384236474
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SLB Announces Date for Third-Quarter 2026 Results Conference Call28.9.2026 20:17:00 EEST | Press release
SLB (NYSE: SLB) will hold a conference call on October 23, 2026, to discuss the results for the third quarter ending September 30, 2026. The conference call is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern time and a press release regarding the results will be issued at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time. To access the conference call, listeners should contact the Conference Call Operator at +1 (800) 715-9871 within North America or +1 (646) 307-1963 outside of North America approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call and the access code is 3440360. A webcast of the conference call will be broadcast simultaneously at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/293449855 on a listen-only basis. Listeners should log in 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to test their browsers and register for the webcast. Following the end of the conference call, a replay will be available at www.slb.com/irwebcast until October 30, 2026, and can be accessed by dialing +1 (800) 770-2030 within North Amer
Boomi Named a Leader and Secures Highest Score in the Strategy Category in Adaptive Process Orchestration Software Evaluation28.9.2026 18:45:00 EEST | Press release
Boomi™, the data activation company for AI, today announced it has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Adaptive Process Orchestration Software, Q3 2026. The report evaluated 13 providers, and Boomi achieved the highest score in the strategy category. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260928931590/en/ Boomi Named a Leader and Secures Highest Score in the Strategy Category in Adaptive Process Orchestration Software Evaluation According to the report, Boomi’s “above-par roadmap is driven by a strong internal innovation process that embraces partner input and customer feedback, while recent investments focus on supporting client data sovereignty and control in geographies where sovereignty matters.” The report also cites Boomi's vendor-neutral control plane for agentic automation as allowing it to extend into the process automation market, an approach reinforced by recent acquisitions, such as Lunar.dev, an
Azalea Vision Enrolls First Patient in Proof-of-Concept Study Evaluating Novel Optical Aperture for Keratoconus and Presbyopia28.9.2026 17:27:00 EEST | Press release
Azalea Vision, a Belgian healthtech company building the first medical-grade smart contact lens, today announced that it has enrolled the first patient in its NOA proof-of-concept study. The study marks the start of Azalea’s clinical program, following its selection for the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260928982998/en/ Novel Optical Aperture smart lens The study is conducted at Visser Contact Lenses (Netherlands) and the University Hospital Antwerp (UZA, Belgium). It evaluates a contact lens with a precisely positioned aperture, the optical principle at the core of Azalea’s adaptive smart lens, to reduce higher-order aberrations in keratoconus and to improve near vision in presbyopia. “For people living with keratoconus and presbyopia, better optical solutions can make a real difference in everyday life. We are proud to take part in this first clinical step and
CORRECTING and REPLACING SES Launches Cash Tender Offer28.9.2026 16:42:00 EEST | Press release
Please replace the release with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions to dates. The updated release reads: CORRECTING and REPLACINGSES Launches Cash Tender Offer THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATES TO THE DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION THAT QUALIFIED OR MAY HAVE QUALIFIED AS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 7(1) OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596/2014. NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN, OR AT ANY ADDRESS IN, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS (INCLUDING PUERTO RICO, THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, GUAM, AMERICAN SAMOA, WAKE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS), ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (THE UNITED STATES) OR TO ANY U.S. PERSON (AS DEFINED IN REGULATION S OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE SECURITIES ACT)) OR IN OR INTO ANY JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO RELEASE, PUBLISH OR DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMEN
Incognito Software Systems Launches NEXA, an AI-Enabled Solution for Automated Broadband Operations28.9.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Incognito Software Systems, a leading global provider of service orchestration, device management, and network intelligence solutions, today introduced NEXA, an AI-driven network intelligence and automation platform that enables broadband service providers to turn operational data into action. NEXA unifies network, device, service, and subscriber data in a single intelligence layer, delivering real-time and predictive insights that help service providers identify issues sooner, better understand the subscriber experience, and take faster, more informed action across their operations. As service providers seek to differentiate beyond connectivity, subscriber experience has become a critical competitive advantage. However, networks have evolved into complex service platforms that span access, edge, customer premises, apps, and third-party systems, making it difficult to detect and resolve issues quickly. NEXA addresses this challenge by combining cross-platform observability with AI-enab
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom