Public Funding for Miatech Biosolutions Limited

International trading of food from animal sources is very intensive. Regulations decree that the production of animal products is free from zoonoses that can affect humans. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) can cause liver disease in humans and the chain of transmission from pork meat to humans has been well established. The WHO report that worldwide every year there are an estimated 20 million HEV infections, over 3 million acute cases of HEV and 57,000 HEVrelated deaths. HEV is usually self-limiting but may develop into fulminant hepatitis, casuing acute liver failure. HEV is transmitted via the faecal-oral route. Prevalence is highest in East and South Asia, where mortality is between 1% and 4% and in pregnant women can reach 25%. There is no treatment for acute hepatitis; prevention is the most effective approach against the disease, hence the need for a cost effective detection system at the slaughterhouse to avoid zoonotic infection via the food chain. Building on and developing MIATech’s previous work in food contamination, this project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a magnetometer lateral flow (MLF) assay for the rapid detection and confirmation of HEV in pig meat at the slaughterhouse. This will offer the advantage of immediate, on the spot results, avoiding inventory awaiting positive release and significantly reducing the risk of costly product recalls. The new magnetometer immuno-assay (MIA) system is based on a unique combination of immuno-magnetic capture of paramagnetic particles (beads) with highly sensitive magnetometer instrumentation to detect and quantify HEV. The project will also investigate the potential for a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based HEV confirmatory assay, which will immediately be able to confirm suspect positive samples at the slaughterhouse and avoid the potential for costly false positive results.

This project will produce a new measurement system that will rapidly detect antibiotic residues in meat. The system will bring together ultrasonic and magnetic technologies in a unique way so that, if present, the amount of antibiotic residues in a small sample of meat can be measured. Small magnetic particles are used to break up the meat sample, helped by ultrasound, and any antibiotic in the sample will change the amount of magnetic material measured by the instrument. The system will be easy to use and will allow testing to be carried out at the point of sampling by semi-skilled personnel leading to better surveillance, preventing antibiotics getting into the food chain and reducing the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

There is a growing demand for reduced veterinary administration of antibiotics, as it is associated with the emergent problem of antibiotic resistance of bacteria which are harmful to human health. MIATech is currently developing the first field-based screening test instrument, to be used with test kits, for antibiotic residues in animal tissue. The proposal seeks funding to contract expertise to support the design and fabrication of the test kits in order to optimise the performance and limited cost.