Purdue University researchers have developed new technology to help stop the spread of foodborne illnesses by detecting them more efficiently.
The researchers developed a lanthanide-based assay coupled with a laser that can be used to detect toxins and pathogenic E. coli in food samples, water and a variety of industrial materials, according to a university article.
The two key features of the new technology are the incorporation of lanthanides and simple lateral flow paper-based assays, according to the article.
The Purdue team created a method for combining different heavy metals that when linked to antibodies can detect multiple agents in a single analysis. The research is published in the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.
“Our goal was to incorporate easily detectable elements into a paper-based assay which is low-cost and effective,” said J. Paul Robinson, the SVM Professor of Cytomics in Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine and a professor of biomedical engineering in Purdue's College of Engineering. Robinson is a BMES member.
“Designing a technology that is both low-cost but also accurate and can detect multiple antigens simultaneously was a critical factor in our decision to work on this problem,” he said.
The group is evaluating the potential for fully portable use that would allow field use in virtually any environment.
The approach uses a high-powered laser pulse to obliterate a sample, while simultaneously collecting the spectral signature of the resultant emission. These signals are then compared with a database that translates the signals into an identification of the toxin or pathogen.
Read more HERE.

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic Opens BMES Annual Meeting
This is the fifth in a series of articles highlighting some of the technologies, processes and keynote plenary sessions presented at the 2024 Annual...

NIH Prize Competitions: Crowdsourcing Biomedical Innovation
This is the sixth and final article in a series highlighting some of the technologies, processes and keynote plenary sessions presented at the 2024...

UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO SPINOFF COMPANY WINS CONTRACT TO DEVELOP HIV VACCINE
A University at Buffalo spinoff company has received a $600,000 contract from the National Institutes of Health to pursue development of a vaccine...

PAPER DEVICE DEVELOPED AT PURDUE COULD BRING PORTABLE CORONAVIRUS DETECTION
Purdue University biomedical engineers have developed a handheld paper device that quickly and accurately detects a different strain of coronavirus,...

NEW CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM DEVELOPED FOR REGENERATIVE CELL-BASED THERAPIES
Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, CEO of The Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering at UConn Health, has created a new...