ROUTINE - A point-of-care diagnostic sensor for urinary tract infections
The project ROUTINE aims to develop a diagnostic test for urinary tract infections (UTI). The test will integrate sample preparation, DNA amplification and a fluorescent-based read-out on one platform to allow direct detection of bacteria causing UTI and the associated antibiotic resistances within 30 min.
UTI are among the most common bacterial infections and a significant healthcare burden where gram-negative bacteria (GNB) are the most common pathogens. Unfortunately, antibiotic-resistant GNB strains are now emerging at a rapid rate, which renders the antibiotics of choice, e.g. the β-lactams, largely ineffective in combating infections. Currently, treatment of UTI is initiated empirically because diagnosis, based on urine cultures carried out in a clinical laboratory, has a typical delay of 2-3 days from sample acquisition to delivery of bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility results. Since treatment needs to be initiated earlier than that, toxic antibiotics, e.g. colistin, are increasingly used on clinical evidence alone. Hence, better and faster diagnostic tools are sorely needed to effectively combat UTI infections. ROUTINE aims to develop a test that will integrate sample preparation, DNA amplification and a fluorescent-based read-out on one platform to allow direct detection of bacteria causing UTI and the associated antibiotic resistances within 30 min.
When fully deployed, doctors will have the tool to rapidly initiate treatment of UTI using appropriate antibiotics. This will greatly benefit patients who are unnecessarily treated with toxic antibiotics, and the public at large since the prevalence of resistant bacteria will be reduced in the population.
For more information, please visit the project website www.routinefp7.eu/ .
Project sponsors
· The European Commission through the seventh framework programme FP7
Project partners
· Finbiosoft
· University of Antwerp
· QLinea
· Microfluidic ChipShop
Project members
Publications related to this project