SBIR-STTR Award

A Rapid Foodborne Pathogen Analyzer
Award last edited on: 9/18/2018

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
NSF
Total Award Amount
$840,511
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
BC
Principal Investigator
Stuart Farquharson

Company Information

Real-Time Analyzers Inc

362 Industrial Park Road Unit 8
Middletown, CT 06457
   (860) 635-9800
   info@rta.biz
   www.rta.biz
Location: Single
Congr. District: 03
County: Middlesex

Phase I

Contract Number: 1214986
Start Date: 7/1/2012    Completed: 12/31/2012
Phase I year
2012
Phase I Amount
$144,990
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate feasibility by developing a novel sampling system to detect 103-4 cfu/g Salmonella typhimurium in spinach within 2 hours. Foodborne diseases resulting from Campylobacter, Escherichia, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio species affect as many as 76 million persons in the United States each year, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and nearly 5,000 deaths. Unfortunately, current methods used to detect these pathogens rely on lengthy growth enrichment steps that take 1 to 4 days, negating effective prevention of contaminated food distribution and consumption. During the Phase II project, a prototype Foodborne Pathogen Analyzer will be developed to extract, detect, identify, and quantify the presence of the above listed pathogens in a variety of food matrices in 1 to 2 hours at the required sensitivity (e.g. 1-100 cfu/g). The broader/commercial impacts of this research are 1) to detect pathogens in or on food in 1-2 hours, hence preventing the distribution and consumption of contaminated food, 2) to speed the process of identifying the source of an outbreak, helping minimize illnesses and deaths, and 3) to allow developing similar systems that can detect bioagents in support of the military and homeland security, and other infectious pathogens in support of medical diagnosis (e.g. detection of MRSA, HIV, TB)

Phase II

Contract Number: 1330886
Start Date: 10/1/2013    Completed: 3/31/2016
Phase II year
2013
(last award dollars: 2015)
Phase II Amount
$695,521

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project proposes to develop a prototype foodborne pathogen analyzer that will employ a novel credit card sized sampling device to extract, detect, identify, and quantify the presence of specific pathogens in food matrices in 1 - 2 hours at the required sensitivity (10 - 100 cfu/g). The goal is to extend the successful Phase I measurements of 104 cfu/g Salmonella typhimurium in spinach within 2 hours to 10-100 cfu/g S. typhimurium on equipment and in cheese, Listeria monocytogenes in cantaloupe, Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef, and Campylobacter jejuni in poultry. Foodborne diseases affect as many as 50 million people in the United States each year, resulting in 130,000 hospitalizations and over 3,000 deaths. Unfortunately, current methods used to detect these pathogens rely on lengthy growth enrichment steps that take 1 - 4 days, negating effective prevention of contaminated food distribution and consumption. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project, if successful, will be the development of a platform technology to detect pathogens on food handling equipment or in food in 1 - 2 hours. This will benefit the food industry by increasing productivity, minimizing withdrawals and recalls, and most importantly, minimizing illness outbreaks and potentially saving lives. The small footprint of the analyzer will allow measurements in process plants and supporting labs, and eventually, at food sources, ports, and inspection stations. It can also speed the process of identifying the source of an outbreak, helping minimize illnesses and deaths. The knowledge gained by developing the proposed sampling system will allow developing similar systems that can monitor pathogens in water supplies, detect bioagents in air, and infectious pathogens in hospital patients (e.g. detection of Staphylococcus aureus, human immunodeficiency virus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis).