Scientists unveil rapid diagnostic for urinary tract infections

As med tech companies target innovative devices that can rapidly diagnose conditions such as sepsis, a team of researchers in Germany and Ireland are developing a device that could slash testing times for urinary tract infections.

The scientists are combining a "lab-on-a-disc" platform with Raman microscopy, an optical detection method, to pinpoint two bacterial strains commonly associated with UTIs, The Times of India reports. The device uses centrifugal force to pick up tiny bacteria directly from patients' bodily fluids, drawing upon samples the size of a small raindrop to produce quick results.

Ulrich-Christian Schröder

"Our device works by loading a few microliters of a patient's urine sample into a tiny chip, which is then rotated with a high angular velocity so that any bacteria is guided by centrifugal force through microfluidic channels to a small chamber where 'V-cup capture units' collect it for optical investigation," Ulrich-Christian Schröder, a researcher from Germany's Leibniz Institute of Technology, told the newspaper.

The team has already charted success for its device in a pilot study, which found that the tool could screen for E. coli and E. faecalis bacteria in patients' urine samples in less than 70 minutes. Researchers published their findings in the journal Biomicrofluidics.

Meanwhile, diagnostic companies are rolling out next-generation products that offer quicker testing times for bacterial infections. Last year, St. Louis, MO-based BacterioScan closed an oversubscribed Series A financing round to support development of its rapid diagnostic test for UTIs. The company stayed quiet on financial details but said it would use funds to complete work on "Model 216Dx," a product that helps hospitals and clinical microbiology labs process results from UTI specimens.

- here's the Biomicrofluidics study abstract
- read the Times of India story