The Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) Phase I grant was from the US Food and Drug Administration.
The Phase I study will focus on detection of Salmonella in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods with Salmonella Typhimurium as a model pathogen.
The automated system is based on integration of patented sample preparation and patent-pending self-contained microfluidic assay cartridge technology.
It can address limitations of current microbial detection methods, e.g., laboriousness and tediousness (culture methods), complexity and high skill requirement (PCR), lack of sensitivity (lateral flow immuno-strip tests) or specificity (conventional ATP bioluminescence).
Although research associated with this grant focuses on detection of Salmonella, the technology is applicable to other foodborne pathogens, said the firm.
Current detection of bacterial pathogens in food and other matrices still heavily relies on culture methods, which are time-consuming, often taking up to 48 hours or more.
Rapid and sensitive detection of pathogens will help prevent foodborne infections, help protect the public health and reduce medical costs and productivity losses, added the VIC Technology Venture Development portfolio company.
BioDetection Instruments was formed in 2003 to commercialize patent-pending technology licensed from the University of Arkansas for the rapid detection of pathogens in food products.