MIPS Project Detail:
Company
Company Description:
InstantLabs is a molecular diagnostic device company and the developer of portable, quantitative, real-time PCR (qPCR) systems. The company is focused on medical diagnostic and food safety applications for its proprietary technologies. InstantLabs currently markets its Hunter Accelerated-PCR® platform with disposable Multiple Assay Cartridges (MACs), bringing simplicity and power to complex diagnostic testing without dependency on central laboratories or acute-care facilities for sample analysis. The compact, affordable and fully-integrated Hunter system is especially suited for use at points-of-care and points-of-need to detect and analyze a wide variety of common and problematic pathogens. InstantLabs is positioned to broaden the addressable market for RT-PCR in areas where gold-standard accuracy, combined with ease-of-use and rapid time to results, can make a consequential improvement in operational efficiency, as well as health outcomes.
MIPS Project
Development of PCR assay for the detection of MRSA
Project #
5012
|
MIPS Round
50
|
Starting Date:
Aug 2012
MIPS Project Challenge:
Decision-making for patients with a Staph infection used to be easy. Simple, inexpensive antibiotics cured all but the worst cases. However, in the early 1960’s, a new, rare pathogen appeared, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). It now represents more than 35 percent of hospital Staph isolates. MRSA is resistant to common antibiotics, and often results in serious illness and even death. It is an everincreasing cause of community and hospital-acquired infections worldwide.
The rapid diagnosis of MRSA is critical to both patient treatment and efficient hospital operations.
InstantLabs is seeking to develop a rapid method to detect Methicillin-Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA) on the Hunter® Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) platform. This will allow accurate and quick diagnosis of an increasingly important multi-drug resistant pathogen.
Project Scope:
During Phase 1 of this MIPS project, researchers developed a novel molecular test for detecting all known clinically important MRSA strains. In Phase 2, researchers transferred the assay to the Hunter® platform and validated it against a panel of clinical patient samples, a key step towards bringing the test to market.
Results:
Principal Investigator:
Jennifer Kristie
Johnson
Professor, Pathology
Project Manager:
Neil
Sharma
Director of Product Developement
Technologies:
Medical Instrumentation / Equipment
