Drawn to Georgia Tech by the wealth of opportunities for entrepreneurial development, Miguel Gonzalez has co-founded a company that is creating at-home, saliva-based testing for Covid 19 and other infectious diseases.

Gonzalez, a third-year PhD student in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE), had long dreamed of building his own company before starting Totem ID with a team of other Georgia Tech researchers through the CREATE-X program in 2020.

CREATE-X is a Georgia Tech initiative to empower students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to launch successful startups and pursue future entrepreneurial opportunities during their careers.

Gonzalez, who focuses on the management and business strategy side of Totem ID, has helped build the company around a concept developed by Bioinformatics PhD student Monica Isgut. The team also includes ChBE PhD student Colton Lagerman, who serves as lead science officer, as well as a biomedical (BME) grad student and two BME undergrads.

“In early 2020, we started focusing on hepatitis C testing, then Covid-19 hit out of nowhere,” Gonzalez says. “So, we decided to adapt the technology for easy home testing for Coronavirus.”

Still under development, Totem ID’s patented technology could eventually be applied to plethora of infectious diseases. Designed for simplicity, users would only have to collect a saliva sample, insert it into the device, perform a simple operation, and then wait for a color-coded test result taking only hours as opposed to days. This home method would eliminate the need for the uncomfortable nasal swabs used in Covid-19 testing and costs associated with technicians, personal protective equipment, and specialized labs.

Gonzalez credits the CREATE-X business development process for bringing this product closer to fruition. “The 10-week program guides you through prototyping and finding customers, and it groups you with mentors who provide coaching every week. Without CREATE-X and all the connections we’ve made, we wouldn’t be as far as we are today. We’re hired a CEO who helped us get an initial round of funding.”

Totem ID’s scientific advisors include experts in infectious disease diagnostic, nucleic acid nanotechnology, and salivary diagnostics from institutions including Emory University, Georgia Tech, and the University of California- Los Angeles.

Battery Business

While committed to bringing Totem ID’s technology to market, Gonzalez has a long-term goal of starting a consulting company related to his thesis research with battery technology. Advised by Professors Elsa Reichmanis and Thomas Fuller, Gonzalez’s thesis research involves the creation of long-lasting, high-capacity battery electrodes.

He plans to eventually consult with multinational companies and governments, providing a sustainable blueprint for energy involving batteries. “When I eventually start my own company, I will have to go through the same set of steps we learned through CREATE-X,” he says. “What I’ve learned through that program will be tremendously helpful because the same skillsets will be needed.”

A native of Colombia who grew up in Miami, Florida, Gonzalez first became interested in sustainable energy production during his undergraduate studies in chemical engineering at California Institute of Technology, where he worked on solar panel technology.

At Georgia Tech, he’s been impressed by the strong industry connections as well as the entrepreneurial opportunities.

In addition to his engineering studies at Georgia Tech, he is also taking several classes on management, business ventures, and accounting at the Scheller College of Business to help achieve his career goals.

“My PhD and other experiences at Tech will help me evolve from a researcher into an innovator in my field,” he says.