Food Safety Screening by High-Content Cell-Based Analysis

New foodstuffs or food components may, beyond their nutritional value, benefit human health, as with nutraceuticals or functional foods, or may present health risk through contamination at source or during processing. Therefore, there is need to complement chemical analysis of foods with biological screening that assesses health risk or benefit using predictive, easy-to-use tools which are standardisable across test materials and locations. The project will develop a novel system for food safety and health-benefit testing, based on screening for biological responses to food components in human cell-based systems. Analytical power will lie in the use of human primary cells with physiological relevance, in methods for pre-screening complex samples, and in the generation of high-content information using leading-edge molecular technology. The project output will be a transferable service capable of installation in food-based CRO operations and a panel of products enabling out-licensed or third party technology uptake.