CTR in the Media
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NJIT's Center for Translational Research Quickens Technology's Pace to Market
Richard Calbi, director of Ridgewood Water, was astonished to discover the extent of PFAS contamination in New Jersey drinking water when the state adopted pollution standards for the industrial chemicals in 2020.
“The first thing we did was determine if we were affected and found them in every one of our 52 groundwater wells. We couldn’t find water to buy that didn’t have PFAS in it. We had to reimagine and rebuild our entire system to accommodate new filters,” Calbi said.
NJIT and NJII Launch PureTrace Labs to Commercialize PFAS Detection Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) today announced the launch of PureTrace Labs, a startup created to bring NJIT-developed technology for rapid detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to market.
The company marks the first official launch from NJII’s Venture Studio, supported by an investment of up to $1 million.
NJIT and NJII Launch PureTrace Labs
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) have announced launch of PureTrace Labs, a startup created to bring NJIT-developed technology for rapid detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to market. The company marks the first official launch from NJII’s Venture Studio, supported by an investment of up to $1 million.
The launch event took place at the Profeta Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, where leaders from NJIT and NJII formalized the agreement through an exclusive startup license for NJIT Technology ID 24-016, “Method for Rapid Detection of PFAS.” The license was signed on NJIT’s behalf by NJIT President Teik Lim and NJII President Michael Johnson for PureTrace Labs.
NJIT And NJII Launch PureTrace Labs To Commercialize PFAS Detection Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) today announced the launch of PureTrace Labs, a startup created to bring NJIT-developed technology for rapid detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to market.
The company marks the first official launch from NJII’s Venture Studio, supported by an investment of up to $1M.
NJIT innovation goes to market: PureTrace Labs launched to bring rapid PFAS detection technology to market
The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) have announced the official launch of PureTrace Labs, a startup poised to revolutionize the detection of harmful PFAS—or “forever chemicals”—in the environment.
This launch marks a significant milestone for NJIT’s innovation pipeline, as PureTrace Labs is the first official venture spun out of NJII’s Venture Studio, an initiative backed by an investment of up to $1 million. The new company will commercialize an NJIT-developed technology that can rapidly detect PFAS in water, soil, and packaging materials in under three minutes.
‘Forever chemicals’ a problem everywhere in NJ, panelists say
PFAs have been linked to certain cancers and fertility issues
Ted Goldberg | May 1, 2025 | Water, Energy & Environment
Last week, the New Jersey Institute of Technology hosted a conference focused on PFAs, or forever chemicals, and the costs of dealing with them – or ignoring them.
“This is not a rural problem. It’s not a suburban problem. It’s not an urban problem or an agricultural problem. It’s a problem across every sector,” said Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Union.)
“We’re not talking about some abstract environmental issue,” said Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (D-Bergen.) “We’re talking about families in my own district who worry about what’s coming out of the tap.”
Studies have shown that exposure to PFAs can contribute to certain cancers and fertility issues, but the costs to filter them out of water supplies can be daunting. Veolia North America, which supplies about a million New Jerseyans, recently spent tens of millions of dollars to upgrade a water treatment plant in Delaware to conform with federal PFA standards.
“Not only is a PFAs treatment system intensive from a capital standpoint, you have to think about operating it over the long term, which is a costly endeavor as well,” said Chris Low, chief technology officer at Veolia North America. “So we’re always looking at how do we operate in a way that optimizes those costs.”
Veolia has requested a rate increase in Delaware of more than 40% per customer, mostly to pay for the upgraded water treatment plant. Leaders at the New Jersey panel said they hope the recent conference will be a springboard for other talks related to PFAs and remediation.
This work was partially supported by a U.S. National Science Foundation Accelerating Research Translation cooperative agreement (TIP-2331429) and the NJIT Center for Translational Research. The opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.