The US food supply is amongst the safest in the world, but remains vulnerable to accidental or intentional contamination by biological and chemical agents. Current technologies for microbial detection and identification often involve several time consuming steps for sample preparation and detection. This adds considerably to the time, skill-level, and costs required for the identification of potential contaminants, and hinders the implementation of routine testing and surveillance strategies for detection and containment of microbial agents in food.
To address this key unmet need, ANDX has initiated a program to develop and validate sample collection and processing devices, molecular assays, and integrated systems for the detection and identification of a broad range of biological agents.
ANDX has recently received funding from the US Department of Homeland Security through the National Center for Food Protection and Defense. ANDX scientists are developing rapid and simple to use diagnostic tests for the detection of biological agents in food.