Bacteromic, a company that belongs to the Scope Fluidics S.A. Capital Group, has reached another milestone of the BacterOMIC project. The primary assumption of this stage of works was to verify the BacterOMIC diagnostic system in laboratory conditions, similar to the target conditions. Validation of the prototype and tests allowed to evaluate the functionality of the system. It has successfully passed the planned tests, and the results provided precise guidelines for optimizing the ergonomics of its use.
As a part of the completed stage of works, the functioning of the system was successfully verified by testing the drug susceptibility of microorganisms originated from urinary tract infections. The first test was carried out in an external laboratory with satisfactory results of the evaluation of system functioning. The test included a panel of 15 antibiotics and 40 clinical strains originating from urinary tract infections. The activities that were implemented before the test included: preparation of antibiotics selection assumptions for the test panel; development of procedures for preparation of cartridges for tests, and application of antibiotics for the antibiotics from the urinary tract infections panel. Additionally, algorithms for reliable MIC value determination were developed and the system software was adapted to the needs of diagnostic laboratories. At the same time, during the third stage of works, the Company developed and submitted to the Patent Office a patent application aimed at legal protection of the method of rapid determination of the MIC value.
– We have successfully completed the validation stage, i.e. verification of the usability of the BacterOMIC system. This process was carried out in our Company, as well as in external laboratories in cooperation with a recognized partner – the National Medicines Institute. Results of the tests of the BacterOMIC prototype have met our expectations and confirmed the effectiveness of the method at this stage. Further work will be focused on system optimisation processes and preparing the project for the industrialisation phase’, says Piotr Garstecki, co-owner and CEO of Scope Fluidics S.A.
The works also indicated the elements of the system that require optimization in terms of the ease of use and production costs. During the next (fourth) stage of the project, the Company plans to create a ready-to-implement version of the BacterOMIC system. At the same time, further tests of the system on clinical material are already planned.
BacterOMIC is the second project developed by the Scope Fluidics Group, after PCR|ONE . The system will use classic microbiological methods of antibiotic susceptibility testing, combined with innovative microflow technology. This modern platform for drug susceptibility testing is to speed up and increase the effectiveness of patient treatment by indicating the best targeted therapies. The main competitive advantage of the BacterOMIC system will consist in a far greater comprehensiveness of the tests it offers than in other systems available on the market.
According to the Company, the demand for the BacterOMIC system will be determined by the dramatically growing threat of infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria – already today 70% of infections in Europe are resistant to at least one antibiotic. In this situation it is necessary to apply targeted therapies based on detailed knowledge about bacterial susceptibility provided by the BacterOMIC system. In addition, the BacterOMIC system has the potential to be the first automatic diagnostic system to test a combination of antibiotics for the most difficult infections in which no individually administered antibiotics are effective.
