Portable Biosensor Detects Bacteria.

• Position: FOODBORNE ILLNESS - Nanoflower - Brief article

In the case of several food recalls, harmful pathogens most often are discovered only when people start getting sick. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga., each year roughly one in six Americans (48,000,000 people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne illness.

Researchers have been working to develop better biosensors that quickly, accurately, and automatically could detect everything from cancer bio-markers in the blood to harmful bacteria in the environment. Even tiny amounts of pathogens can create serious health risks, but the available sensors are unable to detect these quantities quickly and easily.

The key to a better sensor is maintaining a large amount of enzymes with high activity for detecting antigens in a sample. To address this issue, researchers at Washington State University, Pullman, developed a particle at the nanoscale that includes organic and inorganic components and looks like a tiny flower. Smaller than a speck of dust and...