Key to the efficacy and sensitivity of the GSS technology is the microfluidic funnel used for high-throughput stretching and scanning of long strands of single DNA molecules.
WOBURN, MASS (PRWEB) February 27, 2014
PathoGenetix, Inc., a commercial-stage developer of an automated system for rapid bacterial identification, has been invited to present new research at the 2014 American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting next week in Denver, Colorado, demonstrating the integration of multiple mechanisms in its proprietary microfluidic funnels which enables optimal stretching and scanning of large DNA molecules for rapid analysis and identification of bacteria. Entitled “High-throughput DNA Stretching in Continuous Elongational Flow for Genome Sequence Scanning,” the presentation adds to the growing body of research demonstrating and detailing the company’s Genome Sequence Scanning™ (GSS™) technology, which enables rapid and reliable identification and strain typing of bacterial pathogens. The APS Physics March Meeting is expected to draw close to 10,000 physicists, scientists and students this year, with more than 600 sessions describing research from industry, universities and major laboratories from around the world.
PathoGenetix’s Genome Sequence Scanning (GSS) is a bacterial identification technology that detects sequence-specific fluorescent tags on long DNA molecules that have been extracted and purified directly from biological samples. Key to the efficacy and sensitivity of the GSS technology is the microfluidic funnel used for high-throughput stretching and scanning of long strands of single DNA molecules. In the proprietary GSS detection funnels, purified and tagged DNA molecules flow in a linear conformation at high speed past a series of lasers and optical sensors, which record the length and pattern of the labels on each DNA fragment. The labels create a barcode of the DNA in the sample, which is compared to an onboard database of barcodes to identify the serotype/strain type for the organism.
The continuous-flow microfluidic funnel is critical to the rapid throughput and strain typing of sample bacteria by GSS, and PathoGenetix physics research has worked to improve the rate and reliability of DNA stretching in order to optimize the technology’s throughput and accuracy. PathoGenetix’s APS presentation, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, March 5, 2014, details multiple complementary mechanisms used to maximize throughput in the GSS detection funnels, including:
- Optimized funnel geometry to maximize fluid velocity while maintaining uniform stretching over the desired range of DNA lengths
- Improved retention of well-stretched DNA by minimizing relaxation and hydrodynamic tumbling using constant strain rate detection channels
- Normalizing DNA elasticity using sheathing-flow single molecule intercalation.
The GSS technology has broad applicability in food safety, industrial microbiology, public health and research, and will be available in the RESOLUTION™ Microbial Genotyping System in 2014 for use in food safety testing and foodborne illness outbreak investigations. Because Genome Sequence Scanning is culture independent, and fully automated from sample preparation to final report, the technology greatly reduces the time, complexity and skill required when compared to other molecular and next generation sequencing (NGS) identification approaches. The strain-type information provided by GSS is comparable to pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), the current standard for pathogen typing in foodborne outbreak investigation and response. As a result, GSS offers a powerful new tool for epidemiological investigations and outbreak monitoring in hospital and public health labs monitoring foodborne outbreaks, and for food safety testing in the food industry.
About PathoGenetix™, Inc.
PathoGenetix, Inc. is a commercial-stage developer of an automated system for rapid bacterial identification from complex samples. PathoGenetix is a venture-backed company that has received more than $50 million in technology development funding from the Department of Homeland Security. The core Genome Sequence Scanning™ (GSS™) technology analyzes DNA from an enriched biological sample—without the need for a cultured isolate—and provides results in five hours. GSS has broad applicability in food safety, industrial microbiology, and public health and research. The GSS technology will be available in the RESOLUTION™ Microbial Genotyping System in 2014 for use in food safety testing and foodborne illness outbreak investigations. Learn more at http://www.pathogenetix.com.