Viruses cause roughly half of all foodborne illness outbreaks, yet testing for them on fresh produce is difficult. CPS wants to change that. Gloria Sanchez-Moragas, Ph.D., hopes to change that by identifying virus indicators using metagenomics – next-generation tests that examine the genetic content of an entire sample. Her Big Data project could help develop a produce-specific assay to test for viruses. Sanchez-Moragas is one of many international researchers whose work is being funded by CPS. Results of her work are due in 2019.
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“If we’re able to find a surrogate, the next step would be to develop a quick, easy method to detect the indicator.”
Gloria Sanchez-Moragas Ph.D.Source(s):
- Sanchez-Moragas and Diaz, pending 2019. “Metagenomics to identify viral indicators in the produce chain.”