Description du projet
Inverser la tendance de la résistance aux antimicrobiens
La résistance aux antimicrobiens constitue la plus grande menace pour la santé mondiale; de nombreuses infections se révèlent plus difficiles à traiter car les antibiotiques perdent de leur efficacité. La septicémie affecte plus de personnes que les cancers du poumon, du sein et de la prostate réunis. Elle se développe rapidement et s’attaque à plusieurs organes, entraînant souvent un choc septique et la mort. La société suédoise Gradientech a pour objectif de développer et d’introduire dans la pratique clinique un outil de diagnostic ultra-rapide pour les tests de sensibilité aux antibiotiques (AST), basé sur une plateforme technologique exclusive. Ce nouvel outil, qui combine une microfluidique avancée avec la détection et l’analyse d’images en continu, permettra de réduire le temps de l’AST à 2 heures. Le projet QuickMIC, financé par l’UE, développera un plan d’affaires pour de futures études cliniques et activités de commercialisation.
Objectif
The aim of the project is to bring QuickMIC™, an ultra-rapid diagnostic tool for Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing (AST) to the market and clinical practice. AST is usually carried out to determine which antibiotic will be the most appropriate in treating a bacterial infection in a particular patient. Sepsis is the major cause of death as a result of an infection today. It affects approx. 30 million of people every year worldwide. About 20 % of the patients do not survive the disease. Currently, it can take up to 48 hours for the current golden standard AST method to produce reliable diagnostic results. Therefore, doctors empirically treat sepsis patients with wide-spectrum antibiotics while the blood samples are being tested. The globally escalating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has resulted in empirical treatment being unsuccessful more and more often. Misuse of antibiotics additionally contributes to increasing resistance. The improvement of survival rates in sepsis and the decrease in AMR will only be possible with access to a quicker AST tool. To address this unmet clinical need, Gradientech is developing an ultra-rapid AST system, QuickMIC™, based on a patented technology platform. By combining i) advanced microfluidics and ii) continuous image detection and analysis, QuickMIC™ can reduce the time of an AST to two hours. Besides being the fastest AST under development, QuickMIC™ is also a low-price alternative compared to its direct competitors. By commercializing QuickMIC™, Gradientech will make an important contribution to fighting AMR in Europe. Moreover, we will significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. A continued development of QuickMIC™ will result in a CE-IVD marking by early 2019. In the Phase 1 project, we will develop a business plan that will guide the future clinical studies and commercialisation activities. If successful, the overall innovation effort will take Gradientech to a new level of competitiveness and growth.
Champ scientifique
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinesurgery
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsantibiotics
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistanceantibiotic resistance
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinateur
75183 UPPSALA
Suède
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.