November 17, 2006

US company rolls out prototype of device to detect E.coli

NanoSensors, Inc, a California company, has come up with the initial prototype of a device to detect the E.coli bacteria, the subject of much publicised food safety concerns this year.

NanoSensors is a nanotechnology development company that develops instruments and sensors to detect explosives, chemical and biological agents.

The company based its product on its recently licensed nanoporous silicon-based biosensor technology to detect E.coli.

The proposed sensor consists of two core functional parts: a disposable housing unit in which the actual sensor device is mounted and a separate, external data acquisition unit.

The sensor transmits signals across electrical leads to the data acquisition unit, which accepts the output signal from the housing unit and display the results.

NanoSensors' Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ted Wong said the company plans to build enough units of the device before year-end to begin third-party testing of the product in the first quarter of 2007.