Warnex technology adopted by commercial food science lab
Warnex Inc. announced that it has signed up Industrial Laboratories of Canada Inc. (ILC), a commercial laboratory services organization, to add Warnex’s food safety technology to ILC’s existing range of food science analyses and technical services. ILC will use Warnex’s Rapid Pathogen Detection System to test for strains of E. coli O157, Listeria and Salmonella.
“By selling our system to service labs, we significantly expand our initial target market, by reaching beyond larger food manufacturers,” said Mark Busgang, President & CEO of Warnex. “Now smaller to medium sized producers who outsource their testing needs can also benefit from the production and quality advantages offered by our pathogen testing system, namely faster, more accurate results.”
ILC ( www.industriallabs.ca ) is a food science and technology centre offering a range of analytical testing and technical consulting services to the food, dairy, pet food, environmental and animal feed industries. Accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) as a testing laboratory for specific tests and recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for specific tests, ILC serves a diverse domestic and international client base from its two laboratory facilities located in Southwestern Ontario (ILC’s 12,000 sq. ft. Tillsonburg technical centre offers a wide range of microbiology, chemistry, instrumentation and environmental laboratory services) and in the Greater Toronto Area (ILC has a microbiology laboratory at its Mississauga headquarters).
“With increasing global awareness of food safety, we are constantly expanding our capabilities by adopting systems that are at the forefront of providing food manufacturers with timely and precise data about their products,” said Roger Mathur, ILC’s President. “As a service-based business, the Rapid Pathogen Detection System will provide us with a significant competitive advantage in turn-around time over other analytical service providers.”
Warnex’s Rapid Pathogen Detection System uses state-of-the-art genomics-based technology to rapidly and accurately detect the presence of harmful pathogens in food products. The technology allows for the simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens and processing of samples within 24 to 48 hours, a significant improvement over traditional microbiology tests that currently require 5 to 7 days.
About Warnex
Warnex ( www.warnex.ca ) is a publicly traded Canadian biotechnology company devoted to protecting public health by providing advanced diagnostic and quality control products and services to the pharmaceutical, agri-food, and healthcare sectors. Warnex’s genomics-based technology offers a versatile detection platform that produces accurate results rapidly, using Real-Time PCR technology combined with unique genetic markers and software. Applications range from pathogen detection in foods and GMO testing to farm-to-fork traceability using Molecular Bar Codes. Our development pipeline includes applications in the detection of viruses, allergens, toxins, yeasts, and fungi, as well as meat speciation and bioterrorism. Warnex’s profitable and growing analytical, bioanalytical, and clinical service groups offer a variety of quality control services, method development and validation, contract R&D, bioavailability and bioequivalence studies for clinical trials, and medical laboratory testing.
