Born from DARPA's Personalized Protective Biosystem (PPB) program, Singletto's Oxafence technology uses a photosensitizing dye to actively neutralize pathogens on contact, turning everyday materials into self-disinfecting gear. | 2:13 Source: DARPA
July 21, 2026
For decades, personal protective equipment has relied on the same basic principle: create a barrier between people and potential threats. While effective, traditional gear can severely restrict mobility and cause heat stress, forcing operators in high-threat environments to choose between protection and operational effectiveness.
DARPA’s Personalized Protective Biosystem (PPB) program set out to challenge that trade off. Rather than accepting protection and performance as competing priorities, PPB asked whether new materials and biological countermeasures could help reduce the burden of protective equipment while increasing defense against chemical and biological threats. A central program goal: move beyond passive barriers toward protective systems that can help neutralize threats, not merely block them.
One PPB performer moving that vision toward real-world use is Singletto, Inc., a Seattle-based startup. Singletto’s approach to PPB began with a deceptively simple ingredient: methylene blue, a photosensitizing dye used in medical and scientific settings for decades. When incorporated into materials and exposed to light, the dye releases singlet oxygen species that inactivate a broad spectrum of viruses and bacteria. During the PPB program, Singletto partnered with other performers to successfully integrate this technology, called Oxafence Active Protection, into lightweight, unencumbering gear.
From breakthrough to buy-in
Moving from promising research to operational use takes more than impressive technical performance. For antimicrobial materials, the path also includes regulatory review, manufacturing scale-up, customer education, and a clear understanding of where the technology can solve practical problems today.
That is where DARPA’s Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative (EEI) became an important next step. EEI, part of DARPA’s Commercial Strategy Office, supports select DARPA performers as they move breakthrough technologies from research environments into defense and commercial markets. For Singletto, EEI helped sharpen transition priorities, navigate government and healthcare pathways, and connect with potential end users who could evaluate whether Oxafence-enabled products addressed real operational needs.
“PPB helped validate that there was real potential for this technology, and EEI helped us understand where to take it next, and how,” said John Bjornson, co-founder and CEO of Singletto. “For a startup, navigating federal and healthcare pathways can be complicated. EEI is helping us build awareness, focus on the right opportunities, and connect with people who could evaluate where Oxafence might solve problems they were already trying to address.”
With EEI support, Singletto’s momentum is accelerating. Oxafence-enabled face masks are now in use in select military medical settings, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. At Walter Reed, EEI-supported engagement helped introduce the technology to medical stakeholders interested in understanding the mask’s active pathogen-inactivation capability and its potential relevance in clinical settings. Moving forward, evaluation of the Oxafence-enabled masks at Walter Reed is also intended to explore whether active protection features influence factors such as user confidence, acceptance, and adherence in environments where consistent PPE use remains important.
Singletto is also looking beyond masks. The company is exploring additional applications for Oxafence across healthcare and defense-relevant materials, including advanced wound care, protective textiles, bioaerosol filtration, and next-generation protective systems. Each application brings its own technical and regulatory requirements, but the broader ambition remains aligned with PPB’s original vision: reduce the burden of protection while improving resilience against evolving biological threats.
Accelerating the path to impact
Singletto’s path from PPB performer to EEI illustrates DARPA’s holistic approach to technology development and transition. While PPB provided the space to pursue a high-risk idea for active biological defense, EEI supplied the commercialization and market engagement support necessary to bridge the gap between technical success and real-world adoption.
“DARPA’s mission is to create and prevent technological surprise for national security, something we cannot achieve if the breakthrough capabilities we develop fail to thrive after their programs conclude,” said Wil Corvey, senior advisor, DARPA’s Commercial Strategy Office. “Singletto’s journey is a prime example of how EEI support can help a small business turn DARPA-funded research into a capability with commercial traction.”
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