Gradientech, Upsala, Sweden, a biotechnology firm focused on microfluidic products, says a product it is developing will help to alleviate the growing problem of worldwide antibiotic resistance. The company’s QuickMIC rapid in vitro diagnostic is a precision tool for ultrarapid antibiotic susceptibility testing. QuickMIC is designed to offer personalized treatment options for sepsis patients. The goal is to increase patient survival rates, reduce healthcare costs, and lower antibiotic resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health today. Its impact is perhaps seen most clearly in the continuing rise in deaths from infections due to bacteria resistant to antibiotics. At least 33,000 persons die annually in Europe alone, according to the company.

Thorslund

Sara Thorslund, PhD, Gradientech.

“The World Health Organization has already called for a new generation of rapid microbiology tests to determine which antibiotics an infected patient should be treated with to reduce misuse and overuse of antibiotics and limit the spread of resistance,” says Sara Thorslund, PhD, CEO of Gradientech. “We foresee that our IVD QuickMIC system, which is in final development, will make a real difference by diagnosing bacterial resistance in patients with suspected sepsis in as short as 2 hours based on bacterial growth.”

For more information visit Gradientech.