PSS is in discussion with several large seed companies regarding licensing opportunities and has received angel investments.

In December, 2012, PSS was awarded a $2.2 million grant for biofuel research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). In January, 2012, PSS was awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,106,261, which relates to the production of GABA in cells. Additional IP coverage for the technology was obtained in U.S. Patent Nos. 8,581,040 and 8,581,041, which were awarded in November, 2013, and U.S. Patent No. 9,487,792, which was awarded in November, 2016.

In June, 2014, the company was awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,742,204, which relates to the binding of metabolites in cells. In March, 2016, the company was awarded U.S. Patent No. 9,267,148, which relates to the production of taurine in cells with a biosynthetic pathway that, when moved into plants, can deliver taurine in its seeds. In April, 2017, the company was awarded a $750,000 NSF SBIR grant as a direct result of MIPS to use PSS’ biotechnology approach to increase the essential nutrients in soybean seeds for use in aquafeed.

As of August, 2017, PSS had six employees.

UMD researchers provided the company with a working model of an automated HR SmartBolts assembly system and a complete set of drawings for a full-scale machine. Stress Indicators evaluated the performance of the model to determine how to set up production of SmartBolts and create a new production process.

When Stress Indicators began its MIPS project, the company was introduced to a student that went on to become the company’s first employee in June, 2010.

Fyodor reported five presentations or peer-reviewed journal publications resulting from this MIPS project. Seven students were involved.

In June, 2011, Fyodor was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant for $150,000 to progress the development of its innovative Urine Malaria Test (UMT) technology. In August, 2012, the company received another Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant for $150,000 to develop a novel recombinant antibody to be used in a urine-based test for the point-of-need detection of Leptospirosis.

In October, 2012, Fyodor was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 grant for $476,000 to support the company’s effort to develop and validate a broad-based, non-invasive, single-step Urine Malaria Test (UMT Broad) for the clinical diagnosis of both Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and P. vivax (Pv) malaria, which together account for over 98% of all malaria cases worldwide.

In September, 2013, Fyodor received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 grant for $729,000 funding to accelerate the company’s effort to develop and validate a non-invasive, multi-disease, urine-based diagnostic test for Acute Febrile Illness (AFI), enabling the differential clinical diagnosis of leading global health diseases like malaria, typhoid, dengue, and leptospirosis from a single urine specimen in patients with fever.

This MIPS project enabled Cellex to gather clinical data, which helped the company get a $2 million NIH grant, which in turn permitted the company to perform a large clinical study enrolling more than 500 patients. The data from the MIPS and NIHfunded studies was submitted to the FDA in September, 2012, in an application for approval for Cellex’s first product, the QFlu Combo Test, which can be used to simultaneously diagnose influenza and detect resistance to Tamiflu. This is a first-of-its-kind product that has commercial potential and public health implications.

Other than the qFLU combo Test, the assay was also configured into a diagnostic-use only test, the qFLU Dx Test. The qFLU tests are the only tests that do not detect viral proteins (antigens) or nucleic acids, and are less susceptible to genetic changes of flu viruses. Both the qFLU Combo Test and qFLU Dx Test have now been CE-marked.

The Radiant & Manure Burning Heat System, (funded by MIPS-DNR), provided an efficiently engineered, cost-effective prototype that the poultry industry will be able to employ within the normal grow-out system, without disruption to normal BMPs (best management practices). The system is being reviewed by national environmental agencies as a method of improving animal welfare, human-worker welfare and grower profitability as well as reduce atmospheric ammonia releases from chicken-rearing houses.