BioMĂ©rieux announced that it has entered into a strategic research collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop technologies to improve detection and characterization of food-borne pathogens.
In a statement, the in vitro diagnostics manufacturer said that it will be working with the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the Office of Applied Research and Safety Assessment, and the Office of Regulatory Science. The tools will be developed through BioMérieux's xPRO program, which is focused on molecular diagnostics for quality and safety departments in the food, beverage, and dietary supplement industries.
"BioMĂ©rieux is committed to innovation and the xPRO program is the result of an ever evolving and increasingly nuanced landscape of existing and emerging food safety and food security challenges. The FDA's ongoing transformation under the proposed Human Foods Program makes this a natural collaboration and we look forward to extensive collaboration to minimize risk and further public health," said Vik Dutta, senior director, scientific affairs and market access, Americas at BioMĂ©rieux.
The proposal to create the Human Foods Program was announced in January 2023 by the FDA.
Initial collaborative efforts will focus on improving the isolation of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STECs) and the detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis, as well as simplifying the microbial characterization methods used for food-borne pathogens including Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.
