We are thrilled to announce the Purdue University and Pronucleotein, Inc. teams as the winners of the 2014 FDA Food Safety Challenge! As the grand prize winner, Purdue University will receive $300,000 in prize money. Pronucleotein, Inc., the runner-up winner, will receive $100,000 in prize money. Congratulations to both teams!
Members of the Purdue University team at Demo Day (left to right): Kirk Foster, Thomas Kreke, Michael Ladisch, and Amanda Deering
The Purdue University team’s winning submission is a physical method for concentrating Salmonella to detectable levels using automated microfiltration, which could decrease sample preparation time from 24-48 hours to a range of two to three hours. Michael Ladisch, Distinguished Professor and Director at Purdue University, leads the team, and is joined by Eduardo Ximenes, Kirk Foster, Seockmo Ku, Amanda Deering, and Thomas Kreke. To strengthen their submission during the Field Accelerator phase, the team focused on adapting the instrument to achieve higher sample throughput while maintaining sensitivity.
As the team looks to next steps after the Challenge, Dr. Ladisch said “we are excited to be able to continue working with our FDA mentors whose guidance during the Challenge has accelerated the translation of our cell concentration prototype towards a commercial system that will be useful for food safety laboratories. We look forward to developing the microfiltration system for FDA use together with our FDA colleagues.”
The Pronucleotein, Inc. team (left to right): John Bruno and Jim Byron
The Pronucleotein, Inc. team’s runner-up winning submission features a portable device for rapid pathogen screening using DNA aptamer-magnetic bead sandwich assays. It promises a total assay processing and analysis time of about 30 minutes. Dr. John Bruno, VP and CTO of Pronucleotein, Inc. heads the team and is joined by James Byron, CEO of Xgenex. During the Field Accelerator, the Pronucleotein, Inc. team focused on seeing how they could ease the burden of FDA inspectors at ports through rapid screening of suspect foods.
Reflecting on how the Challenge impacted the Pronucleotein team and its future, Dr. Bruno said, “Pronucleotein learned much new information during the Challenge about how the FDA food safety testing procedures function and how they are currently implemented. That information will help to guide our future business plans. In addition, the prize money will enable us to seek AOAC certification for our existing assays and facilitate market entry.”
The Challenge represents a new approach to bringing cutting edge science into the FDA which can make a positive impact on the safety of America’s food supply. At Demo Day, both Mike Taylor, FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Palmer Orlandi, Acting Chief Science Officer and Research Director in FDA’s Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine, emphasized the importance of engaging different expertise and perspectives to enhance FDA’s science base.
A warm thank you to the other Finalist teams for their dedication and hard work: Auburn University, Dr. Bart Weimer/U.C. Davis/Mars, Inc., and University of Illinois/Purdue University.
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