In Jul 2002, scientists at Cornell University (USA) have started field testing a handheld sensor for the rapid detection of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (E. coli) and other food-borne pathogens. The sensor uses liposomes, laboratory-made microscopic cell-like structures that release a dye or other marker when a pathogen is detected. It can detect the presence of pathogens, such as E. coli, cryptosporidium and listeria, in just eight minutes. Current detection techniques can take up to a workday to get a result. Cornell has licensed the new sensor to Innovative Biotechnologies International Inc. ( http://www.ibi.cc/).

Contact: Prof. Richard A Durst, Food Science and Technology, Cornell University, rad2@cornell.edu, http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/faculty/durst/...

Source: AP / Yahoo! News, 3 Jul 2002
Cornell News Service, 21 Mar 2002