July 13, 2012; FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN); College Park, Md.

Scientist Marc Allard at FDA's comparative genomics laboratory uses the Ion Torrrent Personal Genome Sequencing machine, a desktop sequencer being tested for field applications to rapidly identify the genetic makeup of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. Hundreds of FDA scientists are working to develop the tools needed to keep bacterial and chemical contaminants out of the food supply, and to rapidly identify the disease-causing bacteria that do infiltrate foods and cause outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Among them are the researchers at FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, Md.

On September 10 and 11, 2012, FDA hosted the third Science Writers Symposium, featuring lab tours and scientific presentations on a variety of topics including gene therapy, neural implants, scientific computing, medical countermeasures, flu adjuvants and salmonella — a common cause of foodborne illness.