Developed by scientists from the University of Texas at Dallas, EnliSense’s READ FWDx—short for Rapid Electroanalytic Diagnostic Food Water Diagnosis—is a novel, compact rapid sensor that can detect microbiological and chemical food contaminants, such as dangerous pathogens, toxic pesticides, and antibiotics. The developers hope their proof-of-concept device will one day be used in both processing facilities and at home to screen for food safety.

READ FWDx’s portable design and efficient capabilities are enabled by a technology called adaptive electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Traditional detection technologies are unable to simultaneously test for microbiological and chemical contaminants. However, READ FWDx combines 16 sensors with different detection capabilities on a single chip, allowing it to measure the concentrations of various contaminants in one sample.

When a sample is placed on the sensor, it scans all the layers of the sample, and determines the amount of a contaminant that is present in the sample by reading its total electric charge and dielectric properties. Different contaminants have different charges and dielectric properties, to which sensors can be attuned.

Powered by multiple sensors and the adaptive electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, READ FWDx is able to produce results in minutes. Additionally, the chip is easily customizable, with the ability to swap out sensors tuned to different contaminants.

Peer-reviewed studies have shown READ FWDx’s efficacy in quickly detecting pathogens like Escherichia coli O157:H7, as well as the ability to detect mycotoxins.

EnLiSense and the research team behind READ FWDx envision delivering the sensor to the public in the form of a single-use, portable chip with a year-long shelf life when stored in the home. They also hope to interest the food industry in READ FWDx as an onsite, point-of-use detection device to ensure food safety when rapid turnaround is required.

Development of READ FWDx was led by Shalini Prasad, Ph.D., Professor in the University of Texas at Dallas’ Department of Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Prasad co-founded EnLiSense with her spouse and engineer Sriram Muthukumar, Ph.D. to commercialize READ FWDx and other sensor technologies developed in her lab.