Joining a consortium as partner

IZSLER, plays an important role in public veterinary services in Italy, specifically in the domains of animal health, food safety and public health, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, the One Health initiative.
IZSLER is a reference centre and has Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reference laboratories, as well as national reference laboratory for various zoonoses, cultivating its capacity for disease diagnosis, research, and collaboration at both national and international level.
It has a biobank, housing diverse samples including those from wildlife, which is a valuable resource for research and diagnostic purposes.
In particular, the Food Safety Department institution's activities encompass a wide array of services, including:
1. Molecular biology (detection and characterization of foodborne pathogens, including viruses, through PCR, Real-Time PCR, Sanger sequencing, and WGS; development and fine-tuning of molecular analyses protocols and methods
2. Chemical analyses (detection of persistent organic contaminants – POPs, heavy metals, drugs residues, bacterial- algal- and mycotoxins, and additives in food and feed)
3. Food integrity and authenticity (animal and vegetal species detection and identification through PCR, Sanger sequencing, and metabarcoding; allergen detection by PCR and ELISA)
4. Environmental monitoring (detection of foodborne pathogens and contaminants in water and wastewater; 16S metabarcoding)
5. Predictive microbiology:
(i) Study of microbial dynamics: during production processing and shelf life of traditional and novel foods, following the use of novel ingredients/formulae/processing technologies;
(ii) Development of mathematical models to predict pathogens behaviour in different food formulations/processes;
(iii) Ability to reproduce and simulate food processing workflows including the production of cheese and cured/fermented meat products;
(iv) Setting up of experimental contamination studies with handling of BSL2 pathogens;
(v) Quantitative assessment of contamination at the time of consumption through survival / inactivation / growth studies
Overall, IZSLER's multifaceted approach, coupled with its expertise, infrastructure, and collaborations, positions it as a key player in safeguarding public health, animal welfare, and ecological integrity in Italy and beyond.

We are looking forward to joining a consortium with our competencies and state-of-the-art analytical services in the area of water and soil quality monitoring and assessment.

Water quality, pathogen detection, foodborne pathogens and viruses, Sanger sequencing, NGS, contaminants, additives