Ever since the advent of antibiotics Antimicrobial Resistance has been around. The problem is a global pandemic waiting to happen.

"Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global public health."

— World Health Organisation

Currently responsible for more than 1.27 million global deaths each year, the knock-on effect of AMR could result in up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050, more than cancer and diabetes combined.

Of all the life-threatening drug-resistant infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the major causes of global morbidity and mortality. 1 in 4 sepsis cases can be traced back to a poorly-treated UTI, creating a pressing need for a rapid diagnostic test to identify an accurate optimum antibiotic treatment as quickly as possible.

"There's no denying the treatments we use are becoming less effective."

— Stuart Hannah, Microplate Dx CEO

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat due to the increased use of broad-spectrum, non-targeted antibiotics, compounded by general antibiotic overuse. Broad-spectrum antibiotics can't distinguish between healthy and infection-causing bugs, so they kill them all. Sometimes only resistant strains are left behind which only allows them to become even stronger. The rise of AMR creates a significant risk of returning medicine to a pre-antibiotic age, making quick and easy recovery from a household virus or routine surgery a thing of the past.

By tackling AMR with a patented diagnostic test, Microplate Dx proposes to rapidly pinpoint the correct antibiotic for infection treatment in under an hour. The rapid, cost-effective test will vastly reduce the use of empirical or 'best-guess' prescribing practices, resulting in enhanced antibiotic stewardship. Ensuring the right drug is quickly prescribed to the patient for a particular condition, ultimately reducing resistance rates, and saving lives.

Whilst the first product application area focusses on UTIs, the platform potential of the Microplate Dx 'RapidPlate technology' means that in the future, test cartridges can be developed to treat other key bacterial and fungal infections, including sepsis.