Innovative Biosensors, Inc. a company developing fast, portable systems to detect pathogens, will be starting laboratory evaluations in two leading food testing labs. The labs, Marshfield Clinic Laboratories and Midwest Laboratories will be looking at the new E. coli O157:H7 test.

This E.coli O157:H7 test is part of the BioFlash™system, which is based on the CANARY (Cellular Analysis and Notification of Antigen Risks and Yields) technology, a revolutionary diagnostic technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. BioFlash™ delivers extremely rapid detection of pathogens at previously unseen levels of sensitivity and specificity. Accurate results can be obtained in less than 5 minutes.

The combination of speed and sensitivity of the BioFlash™ system is unmatched by other methods such as immunoassays and PCR. Rapid immunoassays require at least 15 minutes, but have a much higher limit of detection. Ultra-fast PCR still requires at least 30 min of sample preparation, notwithstanding PCR contamination issues. The BioFlash™ system offers detection down to 50 cfuEscherichia coli 0157:H7 without cross-reaction with normal E. coli strains.