SpeeDx Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia, and UgenTec NV, Hasselt, Belgium, have launched a smart interpretation module for the ResistancePlus MG test for M. genitalium, a rapidly growing sexually transmitted infection (STI) that has developed significant resistance to first-line antibiotic treatment.
SpeeDx’s diagnostic test detects both M. genitalium and mutations in the 23S rRNA gene of the bacterium that have been shown to confer resistance to azithromycin, a commonly prescribed macrolide-based antibiotic. UgenTec’s solution, called FastFinder, ensures that customers can automatically interpret the test results and provides automation for incorporation into many laboratory information systems.
Colin Denver, SpeeDx.
“Combining our high performance and reliable assays with UgenTec’s software is unique in today’s diagnostic landscape,” says Colin Denver, CEO of SpeeDx. “We can now provide a validated solution for multiple qPCR instruments to help speed the delivery of results during routine diagnostic use.” In the near future, SpeeDx intends to expand the interpretation module to its pipeline of PlexPCR herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, respiratory virus, syphilis, and varicella zoster virus products.
Wouter Uten, UgenTec.
“UgenTec is looking forward to providing the customers of SpeeDx with an artificially intelligent assistant,” says Wouter Uten, CEO of UgenTec. “It will provide them with powerful machine learning algorithms. This, combined with automated decision trees, ensures that end-users can maximize measurement certainty and decrease time needed to obtain results.”
