Xibus Systems

Xibus Systems is a pathogen detection system that combines multiple technologies to detect disease-causing bacteria in foods and beverages with unprecedented speed and sensitivity. Initially developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professors Tim Swagger and Alexander Klibanov as an  Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS)-funded research project that sought to tackle food borne illnesses by finding an affordable way to detect food contamination rapidly at any point in the supply chain, Xibus Systems Inc. was launched in 2016 with the support of a J-WAFS Solutions Grant to bring the system to market and advance food safety for greater public health, sustainability and economic security.

Food safety testing is required by regulatory agencies around the world, and despite billions spent on food pathogen testing each year, testing methods are still slow and recalls exist in high numbers, generating huge quantities of food waste. Additionally, according to the World Health Organisation, one in 10 people fall ill from contaminated food annually and 420,000 people die, at a cost of USD 110 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity every year.

Combining biomolecules, super fluorescent beads, custom growth media and AI analytical software technologies, it revolutionises the speed and accuracy of food bacterial detection.

In 2022, Xibus Systems announced the development of a new technology called XiSafe^TM for high-speed detection of disease-causing bacteria in food, including Listeria, Salmonella and E.coli. The total test time for XiSafe is 8-12 hours depending on the organism and food, compared to the 24-48-hour total test time of products currently on the market.