Topic: Biobot

The CDC is transitioning its wastewater tracking contract from BioBot to Verily, a subsidiary of Google's parent company, Alphabet. The move is currently on pause due to a contract appeal by BioBot. Verily, which originated as a Google X "moonshot," aims to use data and software to monitor public health trends, including COVID-19, RSV, and polio.

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's involvement with Biobot and Alumina is highlighted in relation to the push for wastewater monitoring and PCR assay production. Media reports from CBS News suggest that while boosters will be available in September, a federal program will provide them for free starting in mid-October. The lack of media discussion regarding alternative treatments like Ivermectin is noted as a significant omission in public health reporting.

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb discusses the "Eris" (EG.5) variant on CNBC, noting its ability to escape prior immunity while remaining less pathogenic than previous strains. Gottlieb emphasizes the importance of wastewater data from BioBot Analytics due to the unreliability of home testing and state reporting. The hosts criticize Gottlieb's ties to Pfizer and the potential for wastewater surveillance to be used for social control.

BioBot Analytics co-founder Newsha Ghaeli describes the company's technology for analyzing sewage to create a global human health database. Originally focused on the opioid epidemic, the system can geolocate drug use and infectious diseases down to specific neighborhoods or buildings. The hosts compare the company's pitch to the Theranos scandal and raise significant privacy concerns regarding the tracking of pharmaceutical and illicit drug consumption.