Sysmex has announced that its subsidiary Sysmex Astrego AB has won a major U.K. science prize for its desktop-sized analyzer and rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing system for urinary tract infections (UTIs).
The point-of-care (POC) testing system, PA-100 AST, was introduced to the European market a year ago. It uses nanofluidic technology to detect the presence or absence of bacteria that cause UTIs and the effectiveness of antimicrobials. Using a urine sample, the device captures and cultures unidirectionally within a system of microchannels, according to Sysmex.
Adding the Longitude Prize on AMR, or antimicrobial resistance, distinguishes PA-100 AST for its potential value as an alternative to conventional clinical workflows in infectious disease testing and treatment that specifically targets the global issue of AMR, according to Sysmex.
"Presence of bacteria is determined in just 15 minutes from the start of testing and antimicrobial efficacy in as little as 30 minutes, both automatically, supporting appropriate administration of antimicrobials at the initial patient visit at clinics," Sysmex explained in a news release. Conventional testing requires several days from culturing bacteria to antimicrobial susceptibility determination.
Nesta enterprise Challenge Works awarded the Longitude Prize on AMR. The prize amounts to a $10.2 million (8 million pounds) payout for Sysmex Astrego AB.
Challenge Works said that the PA-100 AST system "offers the potential to end ‘just in case’ antibiotic prescribing that is currently prevalent and which promotes the development of antibiotic resistance."
Sysmex Astrego AB is an in vitro diagnostics company founded in 2017 in Uppsala, Sweden. It was acquired by Kobe, Japan-based Sysmex in May 2022.
