The Ticker: How Wave Lumina Wants to Revolutionize PFAS Testing

The Ticker profiled Wave Lumina in a feature on how the Traverse City startup wants to revolutionize PFAS testing — replacing slow, expensive lab analysis with a portable sensor that returns results on site.

The story traced founder Vernon LaLone’s path from analytical chemistry in the pharmaceutical industry to the realization that environmental teams were waiting weeks and paying steeply for PFAS lab results. Wave Lumina’s technology uses surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to screen water samples in the field, pairing a sample-prep kit with nanoparticle test strips and a software-driven reader.

The article also looked ahead: Wave Lumina is lining up on-site pilots and aiming to bring its PFAS screening solution to market in 2027 — the same year Traverse City’s Freshwater Research and Innovation Center is slated to open, a facility LaLone hopes to call home.

Read the full story at The Ticker, or join the pilot program.