Image: Ultra-Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (uRAST) Revolutionizes Traditional Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing (Photo Courtesy of Seoul National University)
Sepsis, a critical emergency, results from an exaggerated inflammatory response to pathogens such as bacteria or fungi in the blood, leading to organ damage and the possibility of sudden death. It has a 30-day mortality rate of over 30%, which is more than double that of myocardial infarction. Prompt administration of the correct antibiotic is vital to reduce this high mortality rate. Three independent tests are usually required to determine the best treatment: blood culture to confirm infection, pathogen identification to identify the specific infecting organism, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) to identify the most effective antibiotic. Currently, it can take more than 2-3 days to get AST results, which are key to choosing the right antibiotic. Delaying these results contributes to the inappropriate use of antibiotics and accelerates the emergence of multi-resistant “superbugs”. Although advances have reduced the time required for AST testing, overall progress has not been made in reducing the time required for the blood culture process, which is the longest. Now, an ultra-rapid AST method that avoids the need for traditional blood cultures has demonstrated the potential to reduce the turnaround time for drug susceptibility profiles by more than 40-60 hours compared to hospital-based AST workflows.
An ultra-rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test (uRAST) developed by researchers from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University (Seoul, Korea) in collaboration with QuantaMatrix Inc. (Seoul, Korea) is the first in the world to avoid an extended blood culture phase that allows all tests necessary for an effective antibiotic regimen to be performed in a single day. uRAST technology uses nanoparticles coated with immune proteins that specifically bind to pathogens, enabling the direct isolation of these pathogens from the patient’s blood. Researchers have also integrated new technologies that rapidly identify pathogens and ASTs, greatly speeding up the testing process. In a clinical trial involving 190 patients with suspected sepsis, uRAST provided complete test results in just 13 hours, reducing the time required by traditional diagnostic methods by 40 to 60 hours. Additionally, uRAST has achieved accuracy levels that meet FDA standards.
Another important aspect of this research, published on July 25 in the journal Natureis the integration of fully automated technology that consolidates all necessary sepsis diagnoses into one streamlined process. Traditionally, each test is performed separately and manually, causing delays, especially outside of normal lab hours. For example, if a blood culture is performed after hours, further testing must wait until the next day, thereby missing a critical window for effective sepsis intervention. This research demonstrated the potential for continuous 24/7 diagnostic operations by automating the entire sequence of tests required for sepsis, greatly improving the prospects for timely patient care.
Related links:
Seoul National University
QuantaMatrix Inc.
