Alliance Develops Tests for Food-Borne Pathogens

Five new lateral flow rapid tests for food-borne pathogens have been jointly developed by BBInternational (BBI, Cardiff, UK) and the Analytics & Reagents Division of Merck KgaA (Darmstadt, Germany).

The five tests developed are for E Coli 0157, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Verotoxin type 1 and 2. The tests allow detection in less than 20 minutes and can reliably guarantee the absence of the five important pathogens. Lateral flow tests are becoming more popular, because they provide a quick and reliable diagnosis. The new tests are based on BBI's expertise in lateral flow development and the production of premium gold colloid.

Merck identified the tests needed and then sought a technology platform that could produce them, finding one at BBI, which provides new-product development services for companies with limited lateral flow experience.

"It is an ideal choice for those who want to fully outsource the development of a new rapid test, including reagent development, without losing the ownership of how the test is developed and marketed,” said Julian Barnes, managing director of BBI. "Merck KgaA and BBI have worked together consistently over the last year and have developed five tests that both teams can be proud of.”


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