Nanotechnology radically speeds up Salmonella detection Salmonella bacteria is responsible for 100 000 cases of food poisoning each year in the European Union. Detection takes up to five days using current technologies, posing a serious threat to food safety applications and often leading to product recalls. Transport and Mobility Industrial Technologies © DART Diagnostics Currently, Salmonella detection and identification relies on traditional microbiological culture techniques, biochemical tests or assays using antibodies. These recognise specific proteins of the pathogenic bacterium. However, these time-consuming methods require bacterial enrichment or high bacterial levels for efficient detection. Improving the sensitivity of Salmonella detection The EU-funded DART Diagnostics project developed a kit for rapid detection of Salmonella, which employs the latest nanomaterials. “Our approach is unique because of an amplification system containing multiple reporters per recognition event, which allows the analysis of smaller and less concentrated samples,″ explains Ana Martins, co-founder of the company DART Diagnostics. The developed nanomaterials are intrinsically biocompatible and stable in physiological conditions. This new technology was tested under various experimental conditions and modified accordingly to facilitate accurate and sensitive Salmonella detection. Although the prototype is yet to be tested in the field, project partners are hopeful ongoing adaptations of the system will help reintroduce it to potential clients. A work plan for the further development of the DART Diagnostics kit has been formulated that includes comparison with existing technologies from other companies to showcase the potential of the kit and facilitate its commercialisation. Furthermore, systematic validation is necessary to ascertain the specific utility and application of the kit in the food supply chain. Future prospects of the DART Diagnostics kit Coordinated EU efforts against zoonotic diseases have helped reduce human cases of salmonellosis by almost half. However, to safeguard the food supply, rapid and reliable Salmonella detection in food and environmental samples is critical. The food supply chain often pushes food manufacturers to send out products to retailers well before potential pathogens can get detected. According to Patrícia Carvalho and Dr Ivo Martins, cofounders of DART Diagnostics, “the multiple outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and massive product recalls have urged us to translate our research findings into a marketable product for Salmonella detection.″ The DART Diagnostics kit allows the detection of lower bacteria concentrations within one day and can thus be used for the prompt detection of Salmonella in the food industry before sending products to the market. This will not only help avoid delays but also safeguard food products and human health. During the DART Diagnostics project, partners assessed the food safety market and identified environmental forces, market trends, competition and risks, as well as opportunities. Significant attention was also given to technical and commercial obstacles that could hinder the introduction of the assay to the market. The lower regulatory costs of the food industry with respect to certifications and validations, compared to clinical diagnostics, offer an advantage to the introduction of the method across the food supply sector. Ongoing efforts to improve the time length of the protocol and the sensitivity of the assay may render the DART Diagnostics kit suitable for diagnostic purposes in the future. Emphasis is given to identifying clinical biomarkers in the blood for situations where treatment time is critical such as the glial fibrillary acidic protein for stroke detection. Finally, at DART they believe in engaging universities and their students. “We proudly contribute to the training of graduate students, improving the qualification of human resources in Portugal, and supporting collaborations between industry and academia,” states Dr Martins hoping to continue this strategy in the future. Keywords DART Diagnostics, food, Salmonella, diagnostics, assay, nanomaterial
