Polymeric Amplification for Rapid L. Monocytogenes Detection

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Current state-of-the-art inspection procedures for ready-to-eat food is time-intensive, requiring processors to delay distribution and maintain extra storage facilities or to distribute the food and face the risk of an expensive recall and associated damage to the company\'s reputation. Productization of the successful prototype detection system will be particularly beneficial to food inspectors and will directly benefit ready-to-eat food processors by allowing detection of Listeria without disrupting efficient food processing, so as to reduce the likelihood of a recall. Subsequent models will be adapted to detect other pathogens, such as Salmonella and E. coli. The proposed technology will be widely applicable to biosensing in the areas of biological warfare, homeland security/agri-terrorism, food-safety and medical diagnostics.
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APPROACH: Nomadics and our collaborators at Oklahoma State University have modified a poly(p-phenyleneethynylene) amplifying fluorescent polymer (AFP) to allow attachment of nucleic acids. In preliminary studies, we have demonstrated transduction of an oligonucleotide-modified AFP film upon hybridization with an Listeria monocytogenes target. Under the proposed research, we will optimize the AFP and the DNA and PNA stem-loop probes for improved sensitivity and stability so as to enhance the transduction signal. Methods to address the difficult problem of sample collection and presentation to the detector will be explored, and a prototype detector will be developed and tested in the laboratory.