While in China last week on a business and trade mission, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley is promoting efforts to link scientists from Huntsville with Chinese health agencies to improve public health and food safety.
Riley and Dr. Jian Han of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have met with Chinese public health officials in Shanghai and Nanjing to establish joint venture laboratories where scientists can apply advanced genomic technologies for improved detections and monitoring of foodborne pathogens and other public health threats.
“There are very few things we do in government that are as important as food safety,” Riley told leaders of the Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration. “Because of scientific work going on in Alabama, we have the opportunity to cultivate relationships throughout the world that lead to improvements in public health, and that will benefit all of us.”
The technology that has been developed by Han can test quickly for foodborne pathogens and multiple disease-causing microorganisms. It is a rapid molecular diagnostic test. With just one sample, the technology can run one test that recognizes as many as 20 different bacteria or viruses in just a few hours.
“Before our technology was invented, the traditional method of detecting bacteria or viruses was in a culture, which could take days,” Han said. “Other molecular methods that directly identify bacteria also exist, but they can detect only one pathogen at a time. Our technology is unique because it detects many relevant pathogens together.”
Han has extensive experience developing technologies and products for public health applications. During the SARS outbreak of 2003, his company, Genaco, developed and deployed the world’s first molecular differential diagnostic test that detected the SARS virus and 10 other pathogens commonly associated with respiratory infections. Before joining HudsonAlpha, he led a team of scientists in developing close to a dozen products for the diagnosis of different infectious syndromes.
Source: Office of the Governor of Alabama
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Allstate, State Farm Sued Over $4 Billion Maui Fire Settlement 
Insurers Face Business Interruption Claims After Global Tech Outage 
Soccer Officials Arrested After Melee That Damaged Hard Rock Stadium in Miami 
Personal Auto Driving P/C Insurers to 2024 Underwriting Profit 
