Abstract
THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE has awarded an initial $175 million contract to a team led by Northrop Grumman to make and install biohazard detection systems in mail-sorting facilities nationwide. At the heart of the system is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detector developed by Cepheid, a maker of instrumentation for DNA analysis. Cepheid will supply its Gene-Xpert instruments for integration into the system, which pulls in air and collects contaminants in test cartridges, thereby eliminating the need for sample handling. The PCR process—sample preparation, DNA amplification, and detection— is also automated. And the detector has been designed for use by a minimally skilled operator in a nonlaboratory setting. Successful testing of the system concluded early this year, Cepheid CEO John Bishop says. The goal was to identify biothreats, such as anthrax, accurately in 30 minutes or less with no false positives and an insignificant level of inconclusive readings, he explains. Although Bishop isn't allowed ...
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