PositiveID Corporation announced that it is conducting a pilot study with seqID inc using PositiveID’s Firefly Dx polymerase chain reaction breadboard prototype pathogen detection system to detect genetically modified organisms for the agricultural market. The goal of the pilot study with seqID is to demonstrate that Firefly Dx can successfully detect the 35S promoter gene in samples of GMO corn and soy beans. It is estimated that 80% of all GMO plants contain this gene and it is considered a hallmark of GMOs. The application of using Firefly Dx to detect genetically modified corn and soybeans in a semi-quantitative analysis has significant potential value at seaports where corn and soybeans are being shipped to countries that limit the percentage of GMOs in the shipment that may be imported. Currently, all such sampling and testing is conducted in a centralized laboratory and may take as long as two weeks, potentially delaying shipment. Firefly Dx would allow a laboratory grade result within 30 minutes at 'dock side,' thereby greatly speeding up the shipment time. PositiveID is developing the Firefly Dx prototype system to be a handheld, fully automated, lab quality, real-time device able to detect pathogens at the point of need. A design advantage of Firefly Dx is that it does not require additional equipment or separate steps for sample preparation and purification, unlike current lab-based equipment, thus reducing time to results as well as cost per test. Firefly's applications include point-of-need, lab-quality, detection of pathogenic organisms; agricultural and food screening in both domestic sectors and developing countries; and detection of biological agents associated with weapons of mass destruction.