Microplate Dx, a diagnostics spinout company from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK, announced that it has secured £2.5M in a seed round of funding.
The company is working on a point-of-care diagnostic platform that can quickly confirm the presence of bacteria and assist doctors in selecting the most effective antibiotics while avoiding ineffective ones.
This technology has the potential to enhance patient care and address antibiotic misuse in healthcare.
Microplate Dx has developed an advanced platform that combines hardware and proprietary data processing algorithms.
The platform enables rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing, allowing clinicians to prescribe effective antibiotics within minutes, instead of traditional methods that take days.
This development addresses the global health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which currently causes over 1.27 million annual deaths and could lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050, surpassing cancer and diabetes combined.
According to Microplate Dx, the platform initially focuses on urinary tract infections (UTIs) and has successfully completed clinical studies.
It involves placing a urine sample into a cartridge, which is then analyzed by the device, providing results in approximately one hour.
UTIs affect millions of people globally, with the UK alone seeing UTIs responsible for 13.7 per cent of all antibiotics prescribed in community healthcare.
Founded in 2022, Microplate Dx focuses on diagnostic technologies using microplates to address the global health threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Its solutions utilize sensitive biosensor electrodes with miniature hydrogel deposits containing antibiotics tailored to specific infection types.
The company recently conducted a clinical feasibility study in partnership with the NHS, demonstrating rapid antibiotic selection for infections in under an hour.
Their current focus is on scaling up their initial product for treating difficult-to-treat urinary tract infections.
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