New funds for research on rapid detection of E. coli in drinking water

25 May 2026

Olov Planthaber

Mats Eriksson, Senior Associate Professor at 糖心网页版, has been awarded a research grant of close to SEK 6 million from Formas for a project aimed at improving drinking water safety. The project is titled 鈥淩apid detection of viable Escherichia coli bacteria at ultralow concentrations for improved water safety,鈥� and will run over four years.

Mats Eriksson Yasuhiko Irie och Lingyin Meng. — Mats Eriksson, Yasuhiko Irie och Lingyin Meng.

鈥淚鈥檓 very excited. This funding will allow us to accelerate our research on E. coli detection and to formally establish the interdisciplinary research team needed for the project鈥檚 success,鈥� says Mats Eriksson. 鈥淚t will also strengthen IFM鈥檚 contributions to several important collaborations in drinking water safety and civil security, while highlighting LiU鈥檚 strength in interdisciplinary research.鈥�

The interdisciplinary initiative brings together three divisions from two separate departments at LiU, Sensor and Actuator Systems at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), and the Division for Molecular Medicine and Virology at the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), combining expertise across biosensing, microbiology, and medical sciences.

The challenge of water safety

Ensuring access to safe drinking water remains a global priority, but existing microbiological monitoring methods are often too slow or lack the sensitivity required to detect harmful pathogens at very low concentrations. E. coli is widely used as the primary indicator of fecal contamination, making its reliable detection a vital part of public health protection.

鈥淭he goal is to develop a rapid and highly sensitive method capable of detecting viable E. coli bacteria even at extremely low levels in complex water samples. A central component is the ability to preconcentrate and isolate bacteria before analyzing them using advanced flow cytometry techniques鈥�, says Mats Eriksson.

The method integrates several steps, including automated filtration, immunomagnetic separation, and fluorescence-based detection. Together, these approaches aim to enable faster, more accurate identification of contamination.

Broad expertise and collaboration

The team includes Mats Eriksson at IFM and Lingyin Meng (biosensing and bioreceptors, IFM), Yasuhiko Irie (microbiology, IFM), and J枚rgen Adolfsson (flow cytometry, BKV and head of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility).

The work also builds on and strengthens existing collaborations within major national initiatives such as , , and , as well as contributing to LiU鈥檚 strategic life sciences profile area, Life Science Technologies (LSX).

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Potential impact

In practical terms, earlier and more reliable detection of contamination could help water providers act faster and prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Beyond drinking water systems, the technology could also be used for monitoring bathing water and broader environmental surveillance. The approach is aligned with the on clean water and sanitation, and the project includes plans for open sharing of methods and data to maximize impact.

Contact

jorgen.adolfsson@liu.se

Placeholder for missing image of Yasuhiko Irie

lingyin.meng@liu.se

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