About This Repartee Water quality has always been important, but due to increased concern about public health and safety in the Covid-19 era, tools to manage water quality have never seen such strong tailwinds. So we asked ourselves, what tools are on the cutting edge of mitigating water quality risk? DNA / RNA science and technologies have brought about a fundamental transformation in the healthcare, medicine, food, and agriculture industries. But when will water quality receive the benefits that metagenomics and DNA/RNA-based testing bring? Who are the participants? Johnny Pujol is CEO of SimpleLab. SimpleLab is a rising star in water quality testing thanks to its innovative laboratory SaaS-based platform. SimpleLab gives residential and commercial clients faster and more affordable lab testing access, report personalization and insightful analytics. John Higley is CEO of EQO, an early-stage company bringing innovation into the aquatic invasives space by leveraging RNA science to enable improved diagnostics and treatment of invasives, starting with Zebra mussels - which contribute to compromised drinking water in cities around the world. Take Ogawa is CEO of Veracet, an early-stage company that has a growing following around their metagenomics toolkit, which includes a proprietary DNA profiling technology to detect all bacteria in a single test to accurately identify the source of the pollution. Khalid Alam is CEO of Stemloop, which is an early stage company developing biosensors for public health applications. Stemloop’s proprietary cell-free synthetic biology platform enables decentralized and democratized testing of of public health threats, starting with the environmental detection of SARS-CoV-2. John Robinson is a Partner with Mazarine Ventures, an early stage investor in technology innovations that address water/wastewater challenges, spanning agriculture, buildings, industry, and municipalities. Innovations that address water quality, including DNA/RNA, is a substantial area of focus for Mazarine. Questions to be addressed in this Repartee DNA and RNA science and technologies have been knocking on the door of water for a long time. What's changed that is enabling these solutions to get traction now? What are the most interesting trends and opportuniteis in DNA/RNA lab testing and field testing? What should we be optimistic about in relation to water quality trends, and what should we be concerned with? ​​​​​Why should you spend an hour with us? Join this Repartee if water quality and public health is part of your job responsibilities, an area of business or investment interest, or if you are simply keen to learn more about innovations that can help reverse deteriorating water quality trends. Instead of pitching their company or presenting slides, this Repartee is simply an opportunity for you to learn more about this topic and ask questions of individuals who are applying cutting edge tools to the monitoring and management of water quality. What is FLOW? ​​​​​​​FLOW is a media channel highlighting individuals who are entrepreneurial in addressing the world’s most pressing water/wastewater challenges. Spanning technology, engineering, research, policy, investment, and non-profit, the individuals recognized in FLOW have created something out of nothing, built a community, challenged the status quo, or simply exhibit a passion for some aspect of water/wastewater that has become their life’s work.

They stink, grow like crazy and can turn an entire ecosystem topsy-turvy. Full story: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/zebra-mussels-found-at-two-new-lakes-in-central-texas/269-ef711f0a-9146-4fea-a9e2-31ca3174fae8 KVUE is Austin's ABC affiliate station and has been delivering local news for Central Texans since 1971. Today it is owned by TEGNA, Inc., which reaches approximately one-third of all television households in America. http://www.kvue.com

The invasive zebra mussels have plagued Austin waters. Is there any way to stop them?

The zebra mussel infestation is a problem that's not going away anytime soon. So KXAN's Yoojin Cho took a closer look and found a local start up that hopes bioengineering leads to a solution.