CERTUS Begins Manufacturing of Novel In-House Pathogen Detection System with Toho Technology

CERTUS, innovators in food safety technologies, has begun manufacturing of the CERTUS System Detection Unit, bringing small and mid-sized food processing plants one step closer to a fast, easy and cost-effective way to detect pathogens. Based on SERS nanoparticle technology made available through an exclusive license agreement with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, the CERTUS System is an entirely in-house system, enabling food producers to perform environmental monitoring without the need for outsourced testing. With the commencement of manufacturing, the CERTUS System Detection Unit is on track for market availability in June 2018.

Manufacturing of the Detection Unit is being carried out at CERTUS’ parent company and iconic precision manufacturer Toho Technology. Founded in 1819 in Nagoya, Japan, Toho is a privately-held company that provides engineering, manufacture, distribution and support of diverse industrial and life-science technologies to customers around the world.  With a well-established global market presence in optical instrumentation in the fields of semiconductor, flat panel display and process engineering, CERTUS leverages the Toho team and talent to advance out of R&D and into full scale commercial production.

“Being part of the Toho Technology family provides us with a myriad of technological and commercial benefits to ensure our products exceed the market’s expectations for precision and accuracy,” said CERTUS Director of Product Development, Dr. John Bodner. “Not only does Toho provide significant expertise in the manufacture of precision instrumentation, they also provide CERTUS with the solid infrastructure and financial backing needed to bring this level of innovation to our customers.”

In addition to partnering with Toho, CERTUS works with United Kingdom-based Solus Scientific for assay development. “One of the reasons we chose to partner with Solus is because of their efficient research and development track record on bringing to market a range of assays in the area of food safety testing,” continued Bodner.

The CERTUS Listeria El assay was developed in collaboration with Solus in 2017, while the environmental Salmonella assay is currently under development and expected to be available for use in the CERTUS System as early as Q4 of this year.

“Through BD’s exclusive license to CERTUS and our strategic partnerships with Toho and Solus, we can ensure best-in-class products for our clients, with the end goal of removing the most harmful pathogens from the food system,” said Bodner.

The CERTUS System will be commercially available in June 2018 and will feature a simple workflow, Bio-Lock™ safety components and real-time monitoring for rapid results.