Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a vital tool for tracking pathogenic outbreaks and has been utilized to detect a wide variety of microbes present within a community. In Dhaka, Bangladesh, WBE has been utilized to perform surveillance for poliovirus, other enteric pathogens, and known antimicrobial resistance markers. Extensive research has also been conducted on the persistence of human enteric viruses transmitted via the fecal-oral route in wastewater. Nanotrap® Microbiome A Particles are functionalized hydrogel particles that bind and concentrate intact viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites from diverse sample matrices, and have been adopted in wastewater testing due to reduced workflow times and compatibility with automated, high-throughput processing. We evaluated microbe concentration using the Nanotrap Microbiome A Particle workflow paired with TaqMan Array Cards (TAC), which are customizable RT-qPCR arrays on microfluidics cards, capable of interrogating 48+ pathogen targets per sample and enabling expanded multiplex potential. Through the Nanotrap Microbiome A Particle workflow paired with downstream TAC analysis, we aim to demonstrate concentration across a wide range of infectious pathogen targets from wastewater samples gathered in various locations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Poster presented at the 2026 ASM Conference. POSTER SKU 44XXX

Detection and isolation of intact bacteria from clinical specimens such as whole blood and urine are critical for clinical microbiology and translational research. However, complex matrix effects, low microbial burden, and the absence of sample preparation workflows that enable intact bacterial capture limit downstream analysis. To address these challenges, we evaluated a Nanotrap® Microbiome Particle (magnetic hydrogel particle) based workflow designed to capture intact viable bacteria and enable controlled dissociation for downstream culturing and molecular applications, while concurrently removing interfering substances. Poster presented at the 2026 ASM Conference. POSTER SKU 44XXX

Synovial fluid proteomics presents analytical challenges similar to those encountered in plasma, including high dynamic range and the dominance of abundant proteins such as albumin and immunoglobulins, which can limit detection of lower-abundance, biologically relevant targets. These challenges are further compounded by variability in sample viscosity and handling conditions, creating a need for workflows that improve proteome depth while maintaining reproducibility and scalability. The Nanotrap® Protein Enrichment Affinity Kit (PEAK) - Discovery uses magnetic hydrogel particles to enrich proteins from biofluids, improving access to lower-abundance regions of the proteome while remaining compatible with automated workflows, standard digestion protocols, and modern LC–MS/MS platforms. In this study, we evaluated the Nanotrap PEAK Discovery Method, which uses magnetic hydrogel particles to enrich low abundance proteins from biofluids while depleting high-abundance interferents. Poster presented at the 2026 ASMS Conference. POSTER SKU 342XX

Pre-analytical factors — including blood-collection tube (BCT) additives, anticoagulant chemistry, and hemolysis state — influence plasma protein composition and affect downstream LC-MS/MS performance. Discovery proteomics workflows are typically validated on a single tube type, most commonly K2EDTA, and often require re-optimization or yield reduced proteome coverage when applied to alternative anticoagulants or hemolyzed specimens. Similar limitations arise when protein enrichment methods optimized for human plasma are applied to preclinical species. We evaluated the Nanotrap® Protein Enrichment Affinity Kit (Nanotrap® PEAK) as a universal protein enrichment solution across multiple blood collection formats—including K2EDTA, K3EDTA, sodium citrate (NaCit), and hemolyzed samples—as well as non-human plasma from mouse and canine sources. The results highlight the flexibility of Nanotrap PEAK to support consistent protein enrichment across diverse matrices—helping enable more robust and scalable proteomics workflows. Poster presented at the 2026 ASMS Conference. POSTER SKU 342XX

Plasma proteomics workflows increasingly demand lower sample input — for biobanked or pediatric specimens where volume is constrained, and for high-throughput screening where reagent cost per sample drives project feasibility. The Nanotrap® Protein Enrichment Affinity Kit (Nanotrap® PEAK) is validated at a 50 μL plasma input, where magnetic hydrogel particles functionalized with complementary affinity baits enrich low-abundance proteins and deplete high-abundance interferents prior to LC-MS/MS. Scaling the workflow down without sacrificing proteome depth would broaden access to low-input matrices and reduce per-sample cost. We evaluated a 10 μL Nanotrap® PEAK Discovery Method against the standard 50 μL workflow on matched K2EDTA plasma samples. The 10 μL method reduces particle consumption by 75% and lowers reagent cost per sample by ~75%. Both workflows use identical chemistries — Nanotrap® Protein A, Nanotrap® Protein B, and Nanotrap® Protein C Particles — and the same downstream digestion and LC-MS/MS pipeline. We assess protein-group identifications, proteome overlap, rank-abundance distributions, and cytokine detection to assess the trade-off between sample input and proteome depth. Poster presented at the 2026 ASMS Conference. POSTER SKU 342XX

Mosquito-borne and waterborne pathogens such as arboviruses and Vibrio cholerae pose ongoing challenges for environmental and public health monitoring. Individual clinical testing is resource-intensive, logistically complex, and often limited by healthcare access or participation, resulting in an underestimation of asymptomatic infections. Effective surveillance is essential for timely detection, outbreak prevention, and public health response. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a promising approach for monitoring infectious diseases at the population level, yet its application to vector-borne pathogens remains underexplored. We evaluated Nanotrap® Microbiome Particles, magnetic hydrogel nanoparticles previously validated for capturing viruses and bacteria in environmental water and clinical specimens, for the capture and concentration of arboviruses and Vibrio cholerae from environmental water. Poster presented at the 2026 APHL Conference. POSTER SKU 65XXX

Recreational waters are monitored for fecal indicator contamination as a proxy for infectious organisms that may be present. Tests often look for fecal coliforms or E. coli, which indicate that mammalian feces is present in the sample. Bacteroides sp. are often used to identify the specific animal origins of the fecal material, as different Bacteroides are specific to different host animals. The HF183 Bacteroides marker occurs in high densities in human guts and is abundant in wastewater and specific for human waste. This study looks at fecal markers in surface water contaminated with human wastewater and utilizes a magnetic Nanotrap® Particle for capture and concentration of microbes in these samples for fast and reliable detection. This method is compared to a standard filtration method to determine relative sensitivity. Poster presented at the 2026 APHL Conference. POSTER SKU 65XXX

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an important tool for monitoring infectious diseases at the population level, providing early indicators of viral transmission and evolution. Influenza A viruses, known for their seasonal epidemics and pandemic potential, pose unique challenges for wastewater surveillance due to their low abundance and susceptibility to environmental degradation.1,2 Traditional sequencing approaches for influenza A in wastewater often yield incomplete genomes due to low viral titers and matrix inhibitors, limiting their utility for public health surveillance. In this work, we evaluated native wastewater using an optimized workflow, as native wastewater had not previously yielded successful whole-genome recovery in our hands. Key modifications included on-bead DNase treatment, minimizing refrigerated hold time prior to wastewater processing (<1 day), and increasing nucleic acid binding bead input to improve whole-genome recovery. This study presents an enhanced workflow using Nanotrap Microbiome A and Nanotrap Microbiome B Particles (combined Nanotrap method) for viral enrichment with the NEBNext® Flu A Integrated Indexing Primer Module protocol, leveraging Oxford Nanopore sequencing for rapid whole-genome characterization. By integrating targeted cDNA synthesis and native barcoding, this approach enables same-day sequencing with improved genome coverage, offering a scalable and high-throughput solution for monitoring influenza A in wastewater. Poster presented at the 2026 APHL Conference. POSTER SKU 65XXX

Partner with Ceres to Elevate Your Discoveries Whether you’re building next-gen diagnostics, scaling surveillance, or running proteomics campaigns — Ceres is ready to help. Partner with us to accelerate your success. In this product portfolio brochure: Technology Overview Technology Applications Product Catalogue for: Infectious Disease Proteomics Liquid Biopsy Extracellular Vesicles DNA/RNA Extraction CeresNOW Technical Support BROCHURE Literature # GEN-BR31375

Article Link Abstract: Genetic testing of community wastewater (wastewater surveillance) is a valuable tool for following trends in the abundance of SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious disease pathogens over time. Wastewater surveillance is increasingly important in the absence of corresponding epidemiological data, particularly for infectious diseases with limited timely data on clinical case incidences. Due to the inherent noise in wastewater data, a single sample is not sufficient to identify a sustained trend in the abundance of a target. This challenge is magnified in resource-limited settings where samples may be collected only once or twice per week. In this work, we collected 24-h composite samples of wastewater daily from a single facility for nearly 4 years. We use this high-frequency data set to describe a method for identifying trends in SARS-CoV-2 abundance in wastewater based on a variety of collection frequencies. Our results indicate that collecting two 24-h composites per week for 2 weeks is sufficient to accurately identify a SARS-CoV-2 surge. We conclude that low-frequency wastewater sampling performs reasonably well in identifying trends in a timely fashion. Methods: The study utilized wastewater surveillance to track SARS-CoV-2 trends over nearly four years at a single treatment facility serving 50,000 people. ​ Untreated wastewater was collected as 24-hour flow-based composite samples 5–7 days per week and transported to the lab on ice, stored at 4°C, and processed within 48 hours. ​ Biological particles were concentrated using Nanotrap Microbiome A particles, and total nucleic acids (TNA) were extracted using the MagMax Viral/Pathogen Nucleic Acid Isolation kit. ​ SARS-CoV-2 N1 and N2 targets were quantified using reverse transcriptase droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) on a Bio-Rad QX600 system, with results reported as target copies per mL of wastewater. ​ A computational model was developed to identify surges in viral abundance using rolling windows of sample data, with parameters for window size, consecutive steps for surge detection, and collection frequency optimized for accuracy. ​ Results showed that collecting two 24-hour composite samples per week is sufficient to identify surges within 10 days, while three samples per week provided slightly better flexibility and faster detection. ​ All data and code are publicly available on GitHub. Results: The study found that collecting two 24-hour composite wastewater samples per week is sufficient to identify surges in SARS-CoV-2 abundance within approximately 10 days, enabling timely public health responses. ​ Models using three samples per week provided slightly better flexibility and faster detection, identifying surges within an average of 8.7 days, but with only marginal improvements in accuracy compared to two-sample models. ​ Higher sampling frequencies did not significantly improve surge detection, likely due to increased noise in the wastewater matrix. ​ The study suggests that sampling frequencies of 2–4 days per week strike a balance between sensitivity and noise reduction, with evenly spaced collections across the week further improving model performance. ​ These findings support the use of limited sampling in resource-constrained settings to effectively monitor infectious disease trends. Overview of wastewater testing workflow used in the current study. Samples are collected as 24-h flow-based composites at the treatment facility, brought to the testing lab on ice, and processed within 24 h of receipt. Biologicals are concentrated from 10 mL of the liquid fraction and total nucleic acid extracted directly thereafter. SARS-CoV-2 abundance is quantified using ddPCR on a Bio-Rad QX600 with a triplex assay that simultaneously quantifiesquantifiesquantifiesSARS-CoV-2 N1, SARS-CoV-2 N2, and human RNase P. SKU 44XXX

Article Link Abstract: Global interconnectedness and rapid urbanization intensify the spread of infectious diseases, underscoring the critical need for effective and scalable surveillance. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has proven to be a practical and cost-effective approach for monitoring community-level pathogen prevalence, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Despite WBE's success in municipal settings, its application to aircraft wastewater remains underexplored. This matrix presents unique analytical challenges due to its high particulate matter, concentrated inhibitory components and variable composition, creating a significant gap in surveillance capabilities. This study aimed to evaluate and directly compare the performance of two distinct virus concentration techniques - PEG precipitation and Nanotrap® Microbiome Particles (NMPs) - for the detection and molecular characterization of SARS-CoV-2 in aircraft wastewater collected from Hamad International Airport. Methods: Aircraft wastewater samples underwent thermal inactivation and concentration using both the PEG and NMP methods. The resulting extracted RNA was analysed by Reverse Transcription quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) targeting SARS-CoV-2 genes. All positive samples were subsequently analysed using next-generation sequencing to identify circulating viral variants. Results: The NMPs method detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 66.7% of samples, significantly exceeding the 20.8% detection rate achieved with PEG. NMPs also consistently yielded lower cycle threshold (Ct) values, indicating superior viral RNA recovery efficiency. Molecular analysis of positive samples successfully revealed circulating Omicron sublineages (XBB and XBB.1.16), demonstrating the efficacy of aircraft WBE for genomic surveillance. Conclusion: Although PEG precipitation is a cost-effective alternative, its high false-negative rate (72.2%) severely compromises its reliability for surveillance in this matrix. In stark contrast, NMPs proved to be highly sensitive and efficient, making it demonstrably better suited for rapid, large-scale screening. Future strategies could focus on standardized, automated protocols based on high-efficiency methods to enhance early warning and genomic surveillance of emerging pathogens in aviation settings. SKU 44XXX

This application note outlines a scalable and automation-friendly workflow for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surveillance from wastewater, utilizing Ceres' Nanotrap® Microbiome A Particles for viral enrichment, New England Biolabs' Monarch® Mag Viral DNA/RNA Extraction Kit with DNase treatment to reduce gDNA contamination, and NEBNext® targeted sequencing for high genome coverage and accurate strain identification. ​ The workflow addresses challenges of low viral loads and wastewater variability, providing a cost-effective solution for public health surveillance and vaccine development. ​ A sample-to-results workflow for RSV sequencing from wastewater. A scalable, robust, and automation friendly workflow for respiratory syncytial virus surveillance, leveraging Nanotrap Microbiome A Particles, Monarch Mag Viral DNA/RNA extraction, and NEBNext RSV sequencing. TECH NOTE SKU # 44XXX