Research Project
9542685
Sepsis is the leading cause of deaths in US hospitals contributing to or causing 52% of all US hospital deaths and is the most expensive condition treated in US hospitals, costing more than $17 billion annually. More than 300 million blood culture bottles are produced annually, with a market size greater than $1.2B in the US and EU alone. The two-year phase II period spanned February 2013 to February 2015 (5 R44 AI094781-03). The developments, funded in part by this grant, have created a new paradigm to diagnose blood stream infection causing sepsis. The work of this grant has assisted in creating the SpecID blood culture system, which the company is now commercializing. The SpecID solution replaces the present 3-step process for characterization of blood samples, currently divided into 1) detection of infection; 2) an obligatory Gram stain for all positive cultures performed on the bench by trained technician; and then 3) species ID by MALDI-TOF, (again requiring skilled sample preparation), The SpecID solution combines faster detection, more accurate Gram status determination than the benchtop stain, and ID more accurate than MALDI, in a single fully automated step which reduces the time to ID, streamlines lab workflow, and saves significant cost. The result is improved patient outcomes and improved lab operating performance. The objectives of this Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program proposal reflect the key goals not supported by the Phase II or Phase IIB programs but required to achieve commercial market entry of the SpecID blood culture system including: development of blood culture media manufacturing processes, development of quality control and documentation systems, FDA strategy to achieve 510(k) approval and development of the SpecID blood culture instrument and blood culture bottle sensor attachment.
