XWELL and PieQ Advance AI-Powered Biosecurity Forecasting Following CDC Milestone
XWELL (Nasdaq: XWEL) formed a strategic partnership with PieQ to embed AI-driven forecasting into U.S. biosecurity operations supporting the CDC's Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance program, which surpassed one million voluntary participants.
Rhea-AI Summary
XWELL (Nasdaq: XWEL) formed a strategic partnership with PieQ to embed AI-driven forecasting into U.S. biosecurity operations supporting the CDC's Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance program, which surpassed one million voluntary participants.
The joint platform uses real-time aviation, passenger flows, seasonal travel patterns, and risk models to forecast traveler arrivals at city and flight levels to prioritize sampling and scale testing ahead of major events such as the 2026 World Cup. The system currently supports operations at seven airports, eight nasal sampling stations, and three wastewater sites.
Positive
- Partnership embeds AI forecasting into frontline biosecurity operations
- Supports operations across 7 airports, 8 nasal sampling stations, and 3 wastewater sites
- Aims to forecast arrivals at city and flight levels for proactive resource deployment
- Designed to scale during peak events like the 2026 World Cup
Negative
- Current coverage limited to 7 airports and selected collection sites
- Program relies on voluntary participation despite one million participants
Details
News Market Reaction – XWEL
In the Feb 3 session, XWEL gained 7.38%, reflecting a notable positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
- TGS participants
- over 1,000,000 participants
- CDC Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance milestone with XWELL and Ginkgo Biosecurity
- Supported airports
- 7 airports
- Current operations footprint for the biosecurity platform
- Nasal sampling stations
- 8 stations
- Frontline sampling infrastructure described in the announcement
- Wastewater sites
- 3 collection sites
- Wastewater-based surveillance locations in the program
- 2026 World Cup
- 2026
- Used as example of peak global travel demand for stress-testing the system
Historical Context
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Appointed former CDC TGS director as senior advisor to guide expansion.
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Opened new wellness retail site at New York Penn Station transit hub.
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Reported Q3 results with revenue, modest loss, and CDC program extension.
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Launched co-branded Blue Breeze Eye Mask across airport wellness locations.
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Expanded Priority Pass wellness access to Middle East and European airports.
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Key Terms
biosurveillance medical
traveler-based genomic surveillance medical
biothreat radar detection system medical
wastewater collection medical
predictive intelligence technical
agentic ai technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Predictive intelligence platform strengthens biosurveillance prioritization and planning ahead of major global travel events
NEW YORK, Feb. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XWELL Inc. (Nasdaq: XWEL), a provider of wellness and biosecurity solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with AI and predictive intelligence company PieQ to develop a next-generation U.S. biosecurity forecasting platform in support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The announcement follows a recent CDC milestone for the Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program — part of the Biothreat Radar Detection System — which has surpassed one million voluntary participants with XWELL and Ginkgo Biosecurity.
Building on this milestone, the collaboration embeds AI-driven forecasting directly into frontline biosecurity operations, enabling XWELL teams to collect more samples from more locations by prioritizing where resources can have the greatest impact. The joint platform analyzes real-time global aviation data, passenger flows, seasonal travel patterns, and advanced risk models to forecast international traveler arrivals at the city and flight-levels.
By predicting where international travelers will enter the United States before they arrive, the system allows public health officials to proactively plan and scale biosecurity operations, expanding testing capacity and strengthening early detection, rather than reacting after exposure risks emerge.
“Effective biosecurity depends on foresight, not hindsight,” said Ezra Ernst, CEO of XWELL. “The CDC’s TGS program already enables early detection of emerging biological threats. This partnership takes that foundation further — using AI to help us be more targeted, more efficient, and ultimately collect more samples from more places. By forecasting where risk is likely to emerge, we can expand our testing capacity and deploy biosecurity resources where they will be most effective, strengthening early detection for the entire Biothreat Radar Detection system.”
The partnership is designed to serve as a next-generation intelligence layer for U.S. biosecurity, grounded in real-world testing during periods of heightened global mobility. These include anticipated surges in U.S.-bound travel around major international events, such as the 2026 World Cup. Used strictly as an example of peak travel demand, such moments create a high-pressure environment to demonstrate that AI-powered forecasting can perform reliably at a national scale.
The system simplifies biosecurity decision-making — moving from airport-level visibility to city and flight-level prediction, from static, historical assumptions to live intelligence, and from reactive response to proactive, preventive protection. As global travel accelerates, predictive intelligence is becoming essential to scaling surveillance capacity without sacrificing precision.
Currently, the platform supports operations across seven airports, including eight nasal sampling stations, and three wastewater collection sites, monitoring thousands of international travelers each week. Rather than simply expanding coverage, AI-enabled biosecurity will allow the program to function as a global intercept network — using predictive insights into passenger movement to pre-position resources at the right ports and at the right times, enabling more precise, efficient sampling as travelers enter the United States.
“This partnership with XWELL reflects exactly the kind of impact-driven AI work PieQ was built to deliver,” said Bhavik Patel, founder and CEO of PieQ. “By combining XWELL’s frontline biosecurity expertise with our agentic AI platform, FLOW, we are advancing biosecurity from reactive monitoring to predictive intelligence that helps surface emerging risks earlier, prioritize action in real time, and operate reliably at scale in complex, real-world environments.”
By adding predictive intelligence to an already proven surveillance program, the XWELL-PieQ partnership establishes a scalable model for future pandemics, mass global events, and evolving biosecurity threats.
For more information about XWELL and its biosecurity initiatives, visit www.xwell.com.
About XWELL, Inc.
XWELL, Inc. (Nasdaq: XWEL) is redefining the modern wellness experience. Through its portfolio of brands — XpresSpa®, Naples Wax Center®, XpresCheck®, and HyperPointe™ — XWELL makes self-care accessible, elevated, and entirely on your terms. With locations in airports and metropolitan areas worldwide, XWELL helps people feel their best wherever life takes them.
About PieQ:
PieQ is an AI-native technology company building intelligent, agent-driven platforms for regulated and operationally complex industries. Its proprietary Agentic AI Platform, FLOW, orchestrates data ingestion, predictive modeling, and autonomous workflows to turn complex, real-time data into actionable intelligence. PieQ partners with organizations across healthcare, insurance, and hospitality to design and deploy AI systems that improve decision-making, operational readiness, and real-world outcomes. Learn more at www.pieq.ai.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These include statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "should," "seeks," "future," "continue," or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include, without limitation: the anticipated use of proceeds from the private placement. Forward-looking statements relating to expectations about future results or events are based upon information available to XWELL as of the date of this press release, and are not guarantees of the future performance of the Company, and actual results may vary materially from the results and expectations discussed. Additional information concerning these and other risks is contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning XWELL, or other matters and attributable to XWELL or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. XWELL does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date hereof.
Valentina Marmolejo (vmarmolejo@mww.com)
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