Tucson, Arizona · Patent pending

Sterile filtration wherever it's needed.

We're building a single-use filter closure that seals the bottle before the filter comes off, so sterile liquids can be prepared on an open bench instead of in a biosafety hood. Research labs first; clinical and veterinary preparation next.

Get in touch

A working 3MB prototype filtering into a bottle on an open lab bench — Working prototype on an open bench.

The problem: an exposed handoff

Today's bottle-top filters leave the bottle open between removing the filter and capping it. That moment of exposure is why the whole job has to happen inside a shared biosafety hood, which means booking time, cleaning down, and carrying every item in and out.

In a busy lab, a single team can run hundreds of these filtrations a year, and every one of them waits for a hood.

Our approach

The 3MB closure seals the receiving bottle while the filter is still attached. Only then does the filter lift away. The bottle is never open to the room, so the step can move out of the hood and onto an ordinary bench.

Filter, seal, lift

Step 1

Filter

Filter into the bottle the way labs already do.

Step 2

Seal

Seat the closure while the filter is still in place.

Step 3

Lift

Lift the filter away. The cap stays, and the bottle stays sealed.

Concept renderings.

Where we are

Working prototypesThe full filtration sequence has been demonstrated with functional concept prototypes.
Patent pendingU.S. provisional application filed July 2026.
UACI incubatedPart of the University of Arizona Center for Innovation, Oro Valley.

Next: molded test parts, independent sterility and seal-integrity testing, and design-partner labs using units.

Team

Ben Blehm, PhD

Co-founder & CEO

Physicist (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and former CEO of a radiopharmaceutical startup. Co-inventor; leads product design, prototyping and validation planning.

Matt McArthur

Co-founder, business development

Co-inventor. Leads the business case, customer discovery and partnerships.

Mark McArthur

Co-founder & strategic advisor

Repeat entrepreneur. Owns a Tucson warehousing, assembly and logistics firm serving Arizona's manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries for 25+ years.

Talk to us

Labs interested in becoming design partners, manufacturers and investors: we'd like to hear from you.

ben@3mbscitech.com

3MB Science & Technology, LLC · 1800 E Innovation Park Dr., Oro Valley, AZ 85755