Collaboration on track to develop new antibiotic resistance technology

The system has the potential to revolutionise the turnaround time for the assessment of suspected UTIs and reduce the use of antibiotics.

The ODx system could revolutionise the turnaround time for the assessment of suspected UTIs, reduce the use of antibiotics and provide faster access to optimal antimicrobial therapy.

ODx’ proprietary detection technique relies on subjecting urine samples to an antibiotic panel to assess how effective each compound is at killing bacteria.

TTP and ODx have further refined and developed this technology to provide rapid and multiplexed analysis. The test passes light through samples, monitoring optical response over time to investigate bacterial growth, and if/how this is affected by the presence of different antibiotics. The multiplex cartridge allows for different antibiotic panels and concentrations to be tested, depending upon clinical settings and geography.

Once released, it is expected the system will be placed in doctors’ offices, hospital outpatient clinics and potentially pharmacies. This will help assess suspected UTIs at the point of care, ensuring the most appropriate antibiotics are identified as quickly as possible. Facilitating the development of personalised treatment plans, the system will help tackle antibiotic resistance by reducing unnecessary prescriptions, whilst making sure that antibiotic courses have the maximum possible effectiveness for a given patient.

Piers Harding, Programme Manager at TTP, described working to develop a system that actively addresses antibiotic resistance issue as "particularly rewarding" because it has the potential to "make a significant difference to the way infections are diagnosed and treated".