PathoGenetix to commercialize tech by 2013
The automated benchtop GSS system will identify food pathogens to strain level, directly from complex mixtures such as food samples, in just four hours, the firm claim.
The strain-level information provided is comparable to pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
PathoGenetix’s Genome Sequence Scanning technology extracts microbial DNA from samples, without the need for cultured isolates or primer design and then a restriction enzyme cuts the DNA into large fragments and fluorescent tags are added based on the organism’s genome sequence.
PathoGenetix CEO, John Canepa, said: “Rapid, accurate and cost-effective strain typing of food pathogens allows more informed decisions, better source tracking and faster outbreak investigations, and that means safer food and saved lives.”
