A new weapon in the battle against biowarfare and bioterrorism was recently delivered to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in the form of a rapid DNA analyzer by Cepheid Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA). According to the company, its Microfluidic Integrated DNA Analysis System (MIDAS) can identify biowarfare agents in less than 30 minutes. Along with unprecedented processing speed, MIDAS is totally automated, requiring the operator only to inject a specimen into the machine.
The new analyzer responds...
Detecting diseases in humans is important, but perhaps just as important is the task of detecting disease-causing bacteria in foods—preferably before they ever reach the supermarket shelves. Recent outbreaks of food-related gastrointestinal and renal disease have suggested a need for better methods and procedures for food testing. Several diagnostic manufacturers have taken up that challenge and are now applying state-of-the-art technology to improve the way food is inspected....
