NEW YORK (360Dx) – Mologic and Fraunhofer today announced a collaboration to develop a rapid, point-of-care test for the diagnosis of bacterial urinary tract infections and any associated antibiotic susceptibility.
The test being developed would be used in a primary care setting. Fraunhofer was awarded £900,000 ($1.3 million) by SBRI Healthcare, a National Health Service England Initiative, in support of the project, the companies said.
The test will combine nanophotonic waveguides and microfluidics to determine the response of bacteria to minute quantities of antibiotics. The collaboration, the partners said, leverages Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics' capabilities in photonic technology and Mologic's expertise in commercializing in vitro diagnostics.
Other partners in the project include Wideblue, Kelvin Nanotechnology, University of Strathclyde, and Barclay Medical Practice.
"By combining our expertise in developing and commercializing IVDs with Fraunhofer’s research and technology experience we have a real opportunity to better target treatments and avoid the inappropriate use of antibiotics," Mologic Cofounder and CEO Mark Davis said in a statement. "The technology has significant potential not only in the treatment of UTIs but far beyond."
Separately, SBRI Healthcare announced on Monday that it has awarded a total of £8.7 million to 10 companies to develop new technologies aimed for use by general practitioners and in primary care settings. In the diagnostics space, along with Fraunhofer, Medtechtomarket Consulting received an award to further along a low-cost test for the early diagnosis and therapy monitoring of sepsis. The amount of the award was not disclosed.
The £8.7 million is the second tranche of investments from SBRI Healthcare to the companies, which were drawn from a list of 22 companies that received six-month feasibility funding last April.