Hunting for deadly bacteria
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/teamli.jpg” caption=”Professor Yingfu Li (far right) with two of his research team members, Sergio Aguirre (left) and Monsur Ali (centre), whose recently published paper in the Angewandte Chemie journal discusses research that will help detect deadly food-borne bacteria. “]
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You can't see them, or smell them or taste them.
They can be in our water and in our food, multiplying so rapidly that conventional
testing methods for detecting pathogens such as E.coli, salmonella and
listeria come too late for the tens of thousands of Canadians who suffer the ill
effects of these deadly bacteria.
Biochemist Yingfu Li and his research team have developed a simple test that can
swiftly and accurately identify specific pathogens using a system that will 'hunt' for
bacteria, identifying their harmful presence before they have a chance to contaminate
our food and water.
Like any living thing, bacteria have their own spoor, leaving behind molecular trails of
bacterial 'droppings'. Li tracks these metabolic by-products with molecular beacons –
little lighthouses on a molecular scale that actually light up when they detect one of
the by-products left behind.
Li created a DNAzyme sensor that will be able to identify any bacteria, utilizing a
method that doesn't require the steps and specialized equipment typically used to
identify whether or not harmful bacteria are present.
“Current methods of food-borne bacterial detection take time. The five days it takes to
detect listeria, for example, can translate into an outbreak that costs lives. We have
developed a universal test that uses less complex procedures but still generates precise
and accurate results,” said Li, a Canada
Research Chair in Directed Evolution of Nucleic Acids.
Li's fluorescent test system was highlighted in Angewandte Chemie International
Edition, a prestigious weekly chemistry journal that ranks among the best for the
original research it publishes. Li's paper, co-authored with lab members Monsur Ali,
Sergio Aguirre and Hadeer Lazim, was designated a 'hot paper' by Angewandte's editors
for “its importance in a rapidly evolving field of current interest”.
“McMaster researchers are known for their ability to provide solutions to problems that
impact the public's well-being, said Mo Elbestawi, vice-president, research and
international affairs at McMaster. “The test that Professor Li has developed will help
safeguard the health of Canadians, and supply industry with a reliable means to bring
safe food products to consumers and reduce their time to market.”
Li's research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
(NSERC) and the Sentinel Bioactive Paper Network.
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