PathSensors, Inc. have launched its Universal BioSensor technology, developed in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the Universal BioSensor is a new bio threat detection platform that can use any existing antibody to rapidly develop tests for the presence of pathogens in environmental samples.

The Universal BioSensor expands the range of biological agents that PathSensor’s CANARY® (Cellular Analysis and Notification of Antigen Risks and Yields) biosensor can detect and significantly reduces development time cycles and costs.

“CANARY® technology has been proven to be superior for bio threat detection in terms of sensitivity, speed of detection, low false alarm rate and ease of use; with the development of the Universal BioSensor, CANARY® now has advantages over alternatives in terms of the number of pathogens it can detect,” commented PathSensors' CEO, Ted Olsen. “In addition, the Universal BioSensor makes it faster and cheaper for us to quickly develop and deploy new bio sensors in response to new and emerging bio threats.”

Unlike prior approaches that required engineering of specific antibodies into the cell that can bind to a pathogen during the detection process, the Universal BioSensor is engineered to express a novel protein that can bind any commercially available antibody and signal within the cell in the presence of the pathogen.

The Universal BioSensor was developed by scientists at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, in collaboration with PathSensors, Inc. The project was funded in part by a grant from the State of Maryland.

Dan H. Schulze, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland and lead scientist on the project commented: “This approach provides a novel platform for detection of pathogens. It makes it possible to utilize available reagents that can target pathogens or antigens for an almost endless range of possibilities.” Dr. Schulze continued: “This shows how science can be combined with PathSensor’s commercialization expertise to broadly expand the scope of pathogen testing.”