Tuskegee Researchers Secure Patent for PCR Assay That Differentiates Between Live and Dead Bacteria
Researchers at Tuskegee University--a historically African American college in Alabama--have secured a patent for a faster and more efficient way to detect live bacteria that could contaminate the nation’s food supply.
U.S. Patent No. 9434976 was awarded to Tuskegee’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The invention is a method of determining whether an infectious, live microbe--such a bacteria--is present in a test sample. The researchers have determined how to differentiate live and dead bacteria by way of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay sample preparation.