Jose Trevejo
Physician Researcher, Biomedical Engineering Group
Principal Investigator, Tuberculosis (TB) Breath Analysis Project
 As a child in Ghana, West Africa, Jose Trevejo witnessed his parents fall seriously ill with malaria. They recovered, but the
effect on him was lasting: “It made me realize from an early age how these mysterious diseases can have such a large impact
on people.”
After earning a math and physics undergraduate degree, an M.D., and a Ph.D., Trevejo pursued an infectious disease fellowship
at Boston’s Beth-Israel Deaconess Hospital. He was attracted to Draper because here he can develop technology to address
global healthcare needs and work with patients. “I’m very interested in novel diagnostic tools that can be applied in the field,
particularly in resource-poor settings around the globe,” he says. “Draper is a wonderful place to work on such challenges.”
His team is developing a portable device to detect TB metabolites in a person’s breath and perform diagnostic analysis in
the field in real time. It uses Draper’s patented Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry technology, licensed to Sionex.
Sensitive enough to detect compounds in a parts per trillion concentration, the sensor is smaller than a dime, allowing for a
handheld device.
Trevejo deems the need for such a device critical: “The problem we’re working on is huge. More than 8.8 million new people
are infected with TB annually. Current technology for field testing is over 100 years old, so we really need to develop new
methods to diagnose this disease and begin treatment immediately.” As more strains of the disease become drug-resistant,
the health of people worldwide, including those in industrialized countries such as the U.S., is threatened—which Trevejo
ties to Draper’s mission: “The TB breath analysis project demonstrates how Draper is serving the national interest in
advancing technology solutions to clinical needs.” |
