The National Institutes of Health awarded a five year, $5 million grant to Denver Health Medical Center and Accelerate Diagnostics to develop a fast and reliable test to detect common bacteria directly from blood, with corresponding antibiotic susceptibility, in less than three hours. This study 1 will focus on the detection of an antibiotic resistant "Super Bug" known as carbepenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
The challenge physicians currently face in diagnosing infections caused by bacteria is that testing requires a sample to be sent to a lab and allowed to grow before enough information is available to determine which antibiotics will kill the bacteria. This process typically takes two to three days and while waiting, the physician needs to make a best guess on which antibiotics will treat the infection during the waiting period, which may or may not make a difference. Most of the time, resistant bacteria such as CRE do not respond to the antibiotics used before the diagnosis is made, leading to worse results for the patient. In addition, the excess antibiotics used during the waiting period can breed more resistant bacteria.
The study proposes the use of Accelerate Diagnostics' new technology by which a single bacteria cells can be extracted from the patient's blood, observed under a microscope and identified within a few hours. Different antibiotics or combinations of antibiotics can be tested until the proper combination is reached.
"Accurate and timely detection would allow physicians to make better treatment choices and informed infection prevention measures to prevent further spread of the infection," said Dr. Connie Price, Chief of Infectious Disease at Denver Health and one of the principal investigators in the study. "That, in turn, would prevent the need for more antibiotic use --- which is needed to stop feeding the vicious cycle of antimicrobial resistance."
The new technology being used in the study is called the Accelerate ID/AST System and it combines rapid genomic identification and high speed phenotypic susceptibility system into one instrument.
"We are delighted to be working with Denver Health on further enhancing the capabilities of our revolutionary technology," said Steve Metzger, Head of Product Innovation at Accelerate Diagnostics. "We are especially motivated to focus our attention on CRE, as these pathogens are becoming more difficult to treat."
The challenge physicians currently face in diagnosing infections caused by bacteria is that testing requires a sample to be sent to a lab and allowed to grow before enough information is available to determine which antibiotics will kill the bacteria. This process typically takes two to three days and while waiting, the physician needs to make a best guess on which antibiotics will treat the infection during the waiting period, which may or may not make a difference. Most of the time, resistant bacteria such as CRE do not respond to the antibiotics used before the diagnosis is made, leading to worse results for the patient. In addition, the excess antibiotics used during the waiting period can breed more resistant bacteria.
The study proposes the use of Accelerate Diagnostics' new technology by which a single bacteria cells can be extracted from the patient's blood, observed under a microscope and identified within a few hours. Different antibiotics or combinations of antibiotics can be tested until the proper combination is reached.
"Accurate and timely detection would allow physicians to make better treatment choices and informed infection prevention measures to prevent further spread of the infection," said Dr. Connie Price, Chief of Infectious Disease at Denver Health and one of the principal investigators in the study. "That, in turn, would prevent the need for more antibiotic use --- which is needed to stop feeding the vicious cycle of antimicrobial resistance."
The new technology being used in the study is called the Accelerate ID/AST System and it combines rapid genomic identification and high speed phenotypic susceptibility system into one instrument.
"We are delighted to be working with Denver Health on further enhancing the capabilities of our revolutionary technology," said Steve Metzger, Head of Product Innovation at Accelerate Diagnostics. "We are especially motivated to focus our attention on CRE, as these pathogens are becoming more difficult to treat."