16 June 2017 - - Austin, Texas-based science and technology company Astrotech (NASDAQ: ASTC) subsidiary 1st Detect, in collaboration with The University of Texas Health Science Center, now called UT Health San Antonio, has reported positive preliminary results in pre-clinical trials for the BreathDetect 1000, the company said.
The BreathDetect 1000 is a rapid bedside breathalyzer for detecting bacterial infections in the respiratory tract, such as hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP).
Working with cystic fibrosis patients at a University Health System clinic in San Antonio, Edward G Brooks, MD and his team are targeting two of the most fatal bacterial strains found in HAP. Currently in the verification and validation phase after conducting successful bacterial culture headspace trials, the first human trials were initiated on May 22, 2017.
Dr. Brooks said: "By sampling directly from the lungs, the BreathDetect 1000 would speed up the current diagnosis process substantially which, in turn, could reduce the misdiagnosis of diseases and subsequent antibiotic resistance; decrease the length of hospital stays; and most importantly, save lives."
With current diagnosis methods, physicians wait up to three days for the lab to identify the organism, and another two days to receive the antibiotic resistance profile. In the meantime, they prescribe broad spectrum antibiotics leading to the urgent public health threat of antibiotic resistance and contributing to the re-emergence of deadly diseases such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Astrotech invents, acquires, and commercializes technological innovations sourced from research institutions, laboratories, universities, and internally, and then funds, manages, and builds proprietary, scalable start-up companies for profitable divestiture to market leaders to maximize shareholder value.
Sourced from Oak Ridge Laboratory's chemical analyzer research, 1st Detect develops, manufactures, and sells chemical analyzers for use in the security, defense, healthcare, food and beverage, and environmental markets.