Xiaonan Lu, Ph.D., Professor and Ian & Jayne Munro Endowed Chair in Food Safety at McGill University, Tier-1 Canada Research Chair in Food Safety and Editor in Chief of ASM Food Microbiology, discusses bacterial dormancy in foodborne pathogens and the challenges it creates for detection and food safety. He highlights advances in genomics, nanosensors, single-cell analysis and AI, and shares his vision for the future of food microbiology research.

Understanding Bacterial Dormancy

Drawing from his own multidisciplinary training, Lu's lab brings together engineering, chemistry, genomics and molecular microbiology to better understand foodborne pathogens. Through technologies such as microfluidics, optical tweezers and single-cell RNA sequencing, his team studies bacterial dormancy, a survival strategy that allows pathogens to withstand environmental stressors (e.g., temperature changes, desiccation, sanitizers and others) and evade conventional detection methods. He shares emerging findings from experiments with Camplyobacter jejuni—one of the leading causes of contamination-induced diarrhea in humans—indicating that dormancy may involve an intermediate state between persister and viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC) cells.

Improving Food Safety Detection

Detecting pathogens in food is rarely straightforward, and it can be difficult to separate a signal from biological and chemical noise. Lu examines how complex food matrices, low pathogen levels and competing microbial communities can complicate recovery and testing efforts. He discusses promising approaches for improving detection, including antibody- or aptamer-based separation methods, selective molecular assays and the growing use of whole-genome sequencing to trace contamination sources.

The Future of Food Microbiology

Looking ahead, Lu explores how AI could help unlock insights from existing datasets, predict food shelf life from image analysis and potentially identify early signals of disease outbreaks. He also highlights opportunities to leverage microbes for healthier foods, reduced waste and more sustainable food systems, while emphasizing the importance of curiosity, collaboration and openness to new technologies.

About ASM Food Microbiology

As Editor in Chief, Lu shares the vision for ASM Food Microbiology as a dedicated home for food microbiology research. The journal encompasses topics ranging from food safety and fermentation to sustainability, beneficial microbes, AI and precision fermentation, providing a platform for both established and emerging areas of the field.

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• Mechanism discovery,encompasses all of the foundational basic research across the microbial sciences and is essential for all advances in microbial science.
• Many transformative technologies (e.g., CRISPR) originated from curiosity-driven, basic research rather than immediate practical goals.
• McGugan's experience as a Program Officer at NIH provided him with a broad perspective on the research pipeline, from basic science to clinical trials, and highlighted the importance of supporting early-career scientists.
• Developing therapeutics for parasitic diseases is particularly challenging due to complex life cycles and limited financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies; much of the progress relies on government and philanthropic funding.
• ASM's Mechanism Discovery Unit serves as a neutral hub to convene interdisciplinary stakeholders, foster collaboration, and advance fundamental research.
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Moon Nahm, M.D., professor emeritus at UAB Department of Medicine and Director of the World Health Organization's Pneumococcal Serology Reference Laboratory at UAB, discusses his career in pneumococcal immunology. From uncovering the WU2 reference strain and other hidden serotypes to pioneering Multiplexed Opsono-Phagocytosis Assay (MOPA) to measure the functional activity of anti-pneumococcal antibodies, Nahm's contributions have facilitated development of advanced vaccines with broader protection and accessibility.

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• Prior to her role as Scientific Director for ASM Applied and Environmental Microbiology unit, Garcia was Senior Director of R&D at Boost Biomes, a biotech startup focused on bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers.
• Garcia's passion for microbiology began studying soil remediation at Texas A&M University.
• Seeing microbes under the microscope for the first time felt like discovering "another world," sparking a lifelong fascination with what microbes are and can do.
• Driven by a desire to see her science make an immediate impact, Garcia was drawn to industry after completing her Ph.D.
• At Boost Biomes, a biotech startup company, Veronica helped transform diverse microbial isolates into bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers and bio-stimulants for agriculture and food. She progressed from bench scientist to senior Director of R&D, overseeing discovery, genomics, bioinformatics and product development, and learned the realities of scale-up, cost, regulation and end-user needs.
• She also monitored air, water and surfaces for the shuttle and ISS and NASA, ensuring astronaut safety by tracking microbial loads and potential pathogens.
• ASM is organizing around 3 scientific units, ASM Applied and Environmental Microbiology (AEM), ASM Health and ASM Mechanism Discovery.
• These units will equip researchers to translate discovery into impact while providing a forum to collectively shape the future of the field.
• The AEM unit provides the space and unique expertise for microbial scientists and partners to directly contribute to a healthier, more sustainable world through applied and environmental innovation and brings together experts whose work connects microbial processes to outcomes in ecosystems, infrastructure, food systems and planetary health.

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