An official website of the United States government.
1. Develop and integrate operational technologies to rapidly and effectively concentrate viable target cells from food matrices in a self-validating system into an automated instrument. <br/> 1A: Integrate technology platforms that we have developed and individually tested into a usable technology for detecting L. monocytogenes in less than 8 h (time-to-result). <br/> 1B: Integrate technology platforms, currently being developed in our laboratory, into a usable technology for detecting Salmonella . <br/> 1C: Integrate technology platforms into a usable technology for detecting STEC. <P> 2. Develop, evaluate, and adopt novel technologies for rapid detection, identification, and quantification of viable and non-viable target microorganisms. Research areas to be addressed include microfluidic biochips, optical light scattering technology, bacteriophage sensors, and Raman spectroscopy. <br/> 2A: Microfabricate and characterize microfluidic biochips that will direct, concentrate, and quantify living microorganisms using micro- and nano-scale electrical, mechanical, and optical methodologies.<br/> 2B: Develop light scattering technologies for rapid and high throughput detection and identification of pathogenic bacteria based on unique scattering signatures generated by concentrated colonies. <br/> 2C: Develop bacteriophages carrying reporter genes for the detection of E. coli O157:H7 and other foodborne pathogenic bacteria. <br/> 2D: Develop a highly sensitive enhanced Raman spectrosensor for field-deployable and routine benchtop in-lab identification of foodborne pathogens.
Approach:
Our approach will be to carry out our objectives using 2 important steps. The first step will be to develop and integrate operational technologies to rapidly and effectively concentrate viable target cells from food matrices in a self-validating system into an automated instrument. When carried out effectively, this step will enable different types of detection platforms to be more effective and accurate. The next step is to develop, evaluate, and adopt novel technologies for rapid detection, identification, and quantification of viable and non-viable target microorganisms. Research areas to be addressed include microfluidic biochips, optical light scattering technology, bacteriophage sensors, and Raman spectroscopy.<P>
An experienced multidisciplinary team of investigators from Purdue University, University of Illinois, and the USDA will engage manufacturers of commercial, off-the-shelf components to construct instruments, and the food processing industry or regulatory agencies to test them. This integrated effort will produce operational technologies that can be used to better detect and quantify microbial hazards in food.