NEW YORK – Selux Diagnostics said on Tuesday that it has received an additional $14.6 million from the US Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority after successfully completing the first clinical trial for its "Next Generation Phenotyping" platform for rapid antimicrobial testing, or AST.
The Boston-based firm will use the funding to commercialize the platform, which was confirmed in the trial to provide rapid and accurate AST results from cultured isolates with a broad antibiotic menu within 24 hours. The test is based on a microplate-compatible bacterial surface area assay that tracks how pathogens respond to antibiotics by monitoring their shape and size as they attempt to avoid death.
BARDA altered the cost-sharing contract, raising the US government's cost share of $45 million to $60.8 million.
Selux now expects to submit the clinical trial results to the US Food and Drug Administration for 510(k) clearance.
"A global crisis of antibiotic resistance requires innovation to save lives, and we believe this next-generation technology represents the future backbone of microbiology," Steve Lufkin, CEO of Selux, said in a statement. "Our plan is to build on the success of this first clinical study and turn our attention to the next phase of product development to speed the time to targeted antibiotic treatment further."