Specific Technologies, developer of rapid identification systems for
disease causing pathogens, today announced that a study published online
in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology found that the SpecID™
metabolomic “fingerprint” detection system achieved identification of
blood infection four times faster — two days sooner— than conventional
blood culture practices.
In the study, Stanford University Medical Center researchers identified
18 bacterial species with 92 percent accuracy, and faster than current
methods can simply identify the presence of infection. These key
findings demonstrate the novel capabilities of the SpecID system to
offer faster, more cost-effective detection and characterization of the
bacterial blood infection that causes sepsis, a potentially fatal
condition that worsens by the hour if left untreated.
Dr. Niaz Banaei, MD, Director of Clinical Microbiology at Stanford
University Hospital remarked: “The study concluded that high-accuracy
bacteria identification could be completed for clinically important
bacteria at significantly faster speeds than present tests. The ability
to identify microorganisms during blood culture will have great impact
on the characterization of bloodstream infections in the clinical
microbiology lab.”
Sepsis is the 10th leading cause of death, killing more than
prostate cancer, breast cancer, and HIV/AIDS combined, and is
responsible for 11 percent of intensive care unit admissions with a
mortality rate estimated at 28 to 50 percent.
In the study, the authors compared the SpecID system to the bioMérieux
BacT/ALERT® system, and reported that the SpecID system
identified bacterial species in blood culture 22 percent faster on
average than the BacT/ALERT system, which simply reported presence of
the infection. Further, the metabolomic “fingerprint” obtained by the
sensor enabled discrimination of distinct strains comparable to that
achieved by pulsed gel electrophoretic methods. The SpecID system thus
combines earlier detection with the characterization of species in a
single, fully automated step. This contrasts with all other systems in
current use in which characterization of the specific bacteria species
requires a second step, additional sample preparation, contamination
risk, and expense.
“These significant results present a new paradigm for time-sensitive
bacteria identification,” said Dr. Paul Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer
of Specific Technologies. “Many lives can be saved, healthcare costs
reduced, and hospital stays shortened with earlier detection and
simultaneous characterization of bacterial infection in blood. With our
fully automated system, a traditionally multistep process is simplified,
so time sensitive information characterizing blood infection can be
obtained faster and distributed to caregivers 24/7.”
The study was supported in part by a $2.3 million Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) grant awarded by the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) toward the development of
Specific Technologies’ solution for rapid identification of
microorganisms producing blood stream infection.
The manuscript, "Colorimetric Sensor Array Allows Earlier Detection and
Simultaneous Identification of Sepsis-Causing Bacteria in Spiked Blood
Culture" can be found online at http://jcm.asm.org/content/early/2013/12/05/JCM.02377-13.abstract?sid=89c688ac-67fe-457e-ad0e-3e31c3b076e1.
About the SpecID System
During growth in culture, bacteria produce small molecule volatile
metabolites unique to their species and strain. Specific Technologies
has developed the SpecID system, a new paradigm for identifying
microorganisms from the metabolomic signature of organism outgas into
culture headspace.
Utilizing a chemical fingerprint that combines detection and
identification into a simple, automated single step utilizing a low-cost
disposable printed sensory array, the SpecID system delivers both
detection and species identification results in one simultaneous step,
both less expensively and well before molecular and mass spectrometry
(MALDI-TOF) methods.
The paper also demonstrated that the SpecID fingerprint discriminates
between even highly similar strains of Staphylococcus aureus,
indicating that the metabolomic fingerprint is not just species specific
but strain-specific as well. The SpecID system requires no additional
instruments, no additional labor, and no new process steps.
About Specific Technologies
Specific Technologies has developed in vitro systems for rapid
identification of cells, and is applying this fundamental new platform
to the detection and characterization of microorganisms causing blood
infection. The company is also exploring applications for antibiotic
drug discovery and the identification of tumor cells by type and
mutation variant. The company’s unique, patented metabolomic signature
technology leverages a low-cost printed sensor to identify cell type
down to the strain level. Specific Technologies is located in Mountain
View, CA.
For additional information, please visit www.specifictechnologies.net.
Copyright Business Wire 2014