AB test UTI
OBJECTIVE
Towards fast, evidence-based and personalized antibiotic administration with a novel AST device
DESCRIPTION
Hundreds of millions of people suffer from Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) every year worldwide. Abdominal pain, frequent urination and pain during urination, fever and lower back pain, are a few symptoms associated to UTIs. Though these are clinical symptoms, a UTI often also comes paired with inability to do work, participate in social activities and embarrassment.
With the majority of UTIs stemming from a bacterial infection, the treatment thereof is straightforward: an antibiotic prescription.
Presented with UTI symptoms, doctors are challenged with prescribing the correct antibiotic therapy. However, this task is particularly troublesome because the current gold standard of Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing (AST) involves urine culturing which can only be performed in a central microbiology lab. In turn, the urine sample transfer time and the overall long process of culturing mean that these microbiology labs can only deliver antibiotic testing results after a minimum of 2 days. As such, most patients diagnosed with a UTI will be empirically prescribed antibiotics during their primary consult, with little diversity in the choice of agent used across patient groups. As a result, many patients are returning due to erroneous initial antibiotic care having subsequently suffered drug adverse effects and even risked worsening the infection. This current paradigm not only compromises the patients’ health and livelihood but also contributes to the public global health issue of antibiotic resistance.
ShanX Medtech is developing a novel diagnostic device that can provide readouts within a doctor’s shift, significantly reducing the time-to-result whilst allowing the physician to perform the test locally on their own premises. Erasmus MC is a world-renowned university performing in depth research into infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance.
With this project, the two parties will join forces to further develop this very much needed innovation.
RESEARCH LEAD
PARTNERS
ShanX Medtech BV
Erasmus MC
FUNDERS
The collaboration project is co-funded by the PPP Allowance made available by Health~Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, to stimulate public-private partnerships.
COUNTRIES
The Netherlands