Dr. Sam Nugen

Dept. of Food Science at Cornell University

How Genetic Engineering of Bacteriophages is Improving Food Safety

In the department of food science at Cornell University, Sam Nugen conducts important research into food-borne bacteria, viruses and parasites. Nugen describes how next-generation techniques and technologies, such as bacteriophage genome engineering, Is enabling them to develop rapid diagnostic kits to identify microbes in food and other environmental sources.



LIKE 0
Dr. Sam Nugen
Food Integrity

Dr. Sam Nugen

Biography

Associate Professor of Food & Biosystems Engineering, Dept. of Food Science at Cornell University More
Follow Sam

Dr. Sam Nugen

Dept. of Food Science at Cornell University

The NRG, led by Professor Sam Nugen, is located in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Our research focuses on the design and fabrication of biosensors for the detection of pathogenic organisms, allergens, adulterants and other analytes of interest. We are currently designing inexpensive micro total analysis systems (µTAS) which will permit rapid on-site screening for food pathogens and toxins. Such “Lab on a Chip” devices, in combination with traditional benchtop detection methods, could reduce product recalls and foodborne outbreaks while paving the way for research into novel processes and improvements in efficiency and yield. The nature of our research is highly interdisciplinary, merging technologies from the fields of nanobiotechnology, microfabrication, molecular genetics, biochemistry, and material science.