David L. Melia

Hello, my name is David. I'm the chief strategic officer at blueRover. PHCbi is a global leader in cold supply chain. Our partnership in the research project with them was to solve not just our issue or PHCbi's issue, but a global industry issue, which is an end-to-end solution that is guaranteed and verifiable, and that has reliability throughout the lifetime of both the equipment and any of the sensors, and ultimately, the software as a combined unit. The hypothesis was to be able to have a seamless out-of-the-box technology that could be embedded into cold supply chain devices, a fridge, a freezer, and ultimately, verify that not only the temperature of the fridge was what it said it was, but that we could verify records for customers from an end-to-end basis, from the freezer, ultimately, to an intelligent bag, which we co-developed, shipping the product to a public health authority that has a PHCBi device, freezer, cold storage unit, and then from that cold storage unit into a mobile device that then gets transported to a retirement residence or a pharmacy. Being able to verify the temperature data from the manufacturer through to the consumption or the ingestion of that medication into a human being is the basis of our research.

The impact of this collaboration between PHCbi and blueRover will have on the industry is a new standard, and ultimately, a new guideline that will require governments to mandate continuous digital monitoring with verifiable records that guarantee the safety of the public. And our end game in this research project is to ensure the integrity of medications including the COVID-19 vaccine across the entire supply chain and be best in class in being able to do that. The study that we undertook with PHCbi was a parallel study. We provided them with sensors and software to embed into their products. And we also received many of their models to do the same on our end. And we compare data to ensure that the temperatures were at the levels they needed to be, and we use meters and other devices to ensure that the information that's being fed to us is accurate. And then when we cross-reference that with PHCbi's research team, we were able to confirm that from our perspective, we believe that this innovation is best in class and will provide a turnkey solution to the industry.

The long-range vision for a platform model would be to have a software that could connect to a multitude of devices and provide real-time data that informs decisions and creates operational excellence within companies and within day-to-day processes that protect people, the public at large. blueRover is a company that has perfected the communication protocols and power management for artificial intelligence, IoT of devices and software. From sensor to software, we ensure verifiable data for decision-making and operational excellence. The big picture goals for blueRover are to be a universal system that uses information technology across the cellular network. In the food and pharmaceutical industry, there is this compliance as it relates to reporting and monitoring and measuring temperatures to ensure safe food and safe medicines, such as vaccines. And really what it's about is ensuring real-time monitoring of temperature such that business processes can be alerted. And when I say business process, I mean, individuals within the business process can be alerted if there's a variation in temperature at an early enough stage to mitigate a catastrophic event like an equipment failure, a power outage.

So, we've built a IoT system, a software that communicates with a multitude of devices, specifically in this case, fridges, freezers in order to monitor and measure and ensure, verifiably ensure that the temperature is and was at the temperature required by law, and to ensure public safety. The existing cold supply chain for medicine was in a situation where records were being kept and things were being done, but it hadn't done a nine shift or a quantum shift to mandated digital monitoring of temperatures across the entire supply chain from vial to vein, if you will. And what COVID has done is created a heightened awareness of the need to ensure that these temperatures are maintained 100% of the time. What's added a second layer of complexity for our engineers is that we're looking at temperatures of -70, -80, and we're actually doing a test with PHCbi on a -150, a cryogenic fridge. So, these are challenges.