PathogenDx, Inc., 
an Arizona based technology company which has developed a multiplexed microarray DNA-based pathogen testing platform, announced today that it has partnered with Prevenio, an innovator and leader in providing automated food processing and pathogen protection systems to create the industry's first closed-loop system to address foodborne pathogens.
The combination of the two parties' ground-breaking innovations into one holistic solution will enable food producers to identify and eradicate foodborne pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes from the nation's food supply more rapidly and effectively than current systems.
According to estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in every 5 foodborne illnesses are due to the consumption of contaminated fresh produce. While contamination can happen at nearly any point in the supply chain - from field, to transport, to processing - keeping contaminated products out of the food system requires rapid and accurate identification of contamination and targeted, effective eradication of the specific pathogen(s).
PathogenDx's unique technology can evaluate food contact surfaces at any point in the supply chain using an ultra-rapid DNA-based detection system that delivers results the same day of swabbing, compared to 2-3 days using conventional culture-based analyses. Combined with Prevenio's ability to provide precise protection from an automated delivery system, producers can now identify, target and eradicate potentially harmful or deadly pathogens within the food supply chain more rapidly and precisely than ever before.
"With this level of food safety technology integration, we are approaching near 'real-time' surveillance of multiple pathogens impacting the food supply and intervention," said Milan Patel, CEO of PathogenDX. "For food producers and processors, particularly in the poultry and fresh produce space where time is of the essence and foodborne contamination represents a major risk, this holistic approach is revolutionary. Together Prevenio and PathogenDX have raised the ante for food protection."
"This partnership is a testament to the culture of innovation that we share with PathogenDx," explained John Meccia, President and CEO of Prevenio. "When combined, our unique technologies represent a leading-edge model of food safety that encompasses rapid detection and pinpoint intervention. Instead of working backwards from the point of harm, producers and regulators can now adopt more forward-looking, preventative food safety processes."
The partnership follows PathogenDx's recent announcement that the company is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to study the effectiveness of its microarray testing technology in identifying foodborne pathogens throughout the food supply chain. In addition, the PathogenDx EnviroX-f ultra-rapid microarray test recently earned an AOAC® Performance Tested Methods SM (PTM) Certificate from the AOAC Research Institute.
To learn more, please visit www.pathogendx.com.
For more information:
MATTIO Communications
E-mail: pathogendx@mattio.com