The test, called CloNeT, involves barcoding infecting bacteria in urine by detecting the presence or absence of a small number of single nucleotide polymorphisms via PCR. These barcodes are associated with various bacterial strains and linked to antibiotic resistance profiles.
Analysis can be completed within 45 minutes, according to ID Genomics, and provides a physician with information on which antibiotic is best suited for a patient's particular infection.
With the NIH grant, ID Genomics aims to refine and validate CloNeT for the diagnosis of UTIs caused by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter spp, and Proteus mirabilis using clinical isolates from different geographic regions across the US.
It previously received a $3 million grant from the NIH to build a prototype of the test.
The company said it envisions the technology eventually being applied to other infectious diseases including sepsis and pneumonia, and that it aims to identify and monitor most antibiotic-resistant pathogens in a global epidemiological surveillance network.