Ave Maria Biotech Partners
US ARMY DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center
The founders of Ave Maria Biotech were fresh off the battlefield of the national COVID response, where they had successfully relied on the experts in the United States military. As a result, they turned to the US Army in the company’s earliest days for rapid development of the company’s airborne virus detection technology.
With their experience at Operations Warp Speed in mind, they formed a partnership with the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM). Our CEO Dr. Ronald Freeze and science advisor Dr. Rodney Burton worked closely with DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center (CBC) in a multi-year cooperative research and development agreement. Now concluded, our work with CBC - the nation's principal R&D center for chemical and biological defense - proves the efficacy of our groundbreaking detection devices.
AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY
As the Ave Maria Biotech R&D agreement with the U.S. Army marched forward, experienced company leaders knew initial success with the Army scientists would require immediate fine tuning of the novel airborne virus detector. Still an early stage startup, we knew this team would need to be allied with our company mission:
Led by executives guided by their Catholic faith, Ave Maria Biotech views infection prevention as a work of mercy, shielding the vulnerable from avoidable suffering.
With experts in airborne virus research and medical device development on biochemistry department staff at Ave Maria University, we explored a partnership with this remarkable Catholic institution featured in The Newman Guide.
In 2023, we cast an agreement to work on campus with their scientists and students to lock the technology for commercial deployment in 2027.
As a result, a rewarding relationship grew. Ave Maria Biotech funded AMU biochemistry students’ and professors’ travel to meet and review progress with DEVCOM scientists in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Ave Maria Biotech's research team continues to partner with AMU students and professors for instrument evaluation and verification as they advance the technology toward commercialization.
The company recently conducted a pilot test of the biodetector in classrooms and dormitory rooms at AMU, just ahead of a 2026 measles outbreak. Thanks to the university’s commitment to leading the way on campus safety, this test returned data that proves the Army’s point: the BD-500 is an effective countermeasure for an entirely new approach to disease prevention and pandemic response.