Market assessment for laser-based pathogen detection technology

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This novel technology is based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a technique that uses a short pulse of laser light to identify bacterial pathogens based on their unique atomic composition. During the LIBS-based identification process, bacteria from fluid specimens are bombarded with intense nanosecond laser pulses that break down bacterial cells into their elemental components. The pathogen's elemental spectral fingerprint acts as a unique "bar-code" identifier which can provide an immediate classification against a pre-compiled computational model or library of pathogens. Classification of the organism based on its spectrum is mathematically calculated using multivariate analyses, known collectively as "chemometrics". Our experimental results have revealed that this spectrum is unique to the bacterial species, and even unique to the strain of the organism. The proposed technology provides pathogen identification within minutes and achieves sensitivity and specificity levels which currently exceed 95%. The detection of pathogens is of critical importance for upholding health and safety standards across multiple health-related and scientific fields, penetrating aspects of the food industry, water and environment quality control, clinical diagnostics and military-biodefense. According to a market analysis published by Markets and Markets, the North American food safety testing market is forecasted to reach $5,460 million by 2018. In 2013, North America was at the forefront of the food safety testing market. With respect to the bio-detection/defense market, Homeland Security Research Corp. projects the market value to reach $22.8 billion between 2012 and 2016. There is a clear need for pathogen detection technologies that satisfy the currently unmet needs of rapid result time, ease of use, portability and a comprehensive pathogen menu. The proposed technology has the potential to address these needs by providing easy to use, ultra-rapid (within 10 minutes) and accurate pathogen detection that can be tailored for applications requiring high-throughput and portability.