Biosensors have been used for many years to identify a wide array of analytes, but instrument size has long impeded their portability. However, over the past decade, many research groups have invested a great deal of resources into miniaturizing the technology. The resulting products have recently become available on the market, targeting applications such as pathogen identification.

One benefit of miniaturized biosensor-based, rapid-pathogen-identification systems is their speed of analysis. While many traditional techniques of pathogen identification are less expensive, their biggest drawback is the time it takes to acquire results. Results from real-time PCR can take several days to a week or longer to obtain if scientists need to send samples to third-party laboratories. By contrast, biosensor-based systems yield comparable results in minutes to a few hours, and the process is considerably less labor intensive than assay-based methods. Furthermore, the portability of these new instruments provides a substantial advantage, as scientists can rapidly identify pathogens in the field.

Only a handful of vendors have commercialized biosensor-based, rapid-pathogen-identification technology. They include PathSensors, Seattle Sensor Systems and nanoRETE. PathSensors’ Zephyr is a small, field-deployable system, which was introduced in early 2014. The system integrates CANARY (Cellular Analysis and Notification of Antigen Risks and Yields) biosensor technology, licensed from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and enables identification of unknown pathogens in less than five minutes, with sensitivity as high as 50 cfu/pfu. The Zephyr can identify a wide array of pathogens including salmonella, and those causing anthrax, smallpox and botulism, as well as toxins such as ricin. Its operating temperature range is 50°–104°F.

In 2012, both Seattle Sensor Systems and nanoRETE received funding to further develop their rapid-pathogen-identification technologies from the Global Food Protection Institute. The SPIRIT is Seattle Sensor Systems’ instrument. Similar to the Zephyr, the system is portable and field deployable, and weighs only 2 lb. SPIRIT’s core functionality stems from its four integrated Spreeta SPR2000 biosensor chips, which allow its users to achieve simultaneous, multichannel, real-time detection in less than 10 minutes. NanoRETE’s nanoparticle-based Integrated Biosensor Platform is still under development. This handheld system has a total analysis time of about 90 minutes and a protein-sensitivity level of 100 pg/mL.

Biosensor-based, rapid-pathogen-identification technology is still in its infancy, with a market size of a couple of million dollars. Only a handful of commercial vendors are competing in this market. Nevertheless, there continues to be significant technology developments in academia that are expected to find their way into the market soon.

Portable Biosensor-Based Rapid Pathogen ID at a Glance:

Leading Suppliers

• PathSensor

• Seattle Sensor Systems

• nanoRETE

Largest Markets

• Food and Beverage

• Government

• CROs

Instrument Cost

• $30,000–$100,000