Sysmex receives Longitude Prize on AMR for antimicrobial testing system

AMR is designated as one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity by WHO

Sysmex Astrego AB, a subsidiary of Sysmex Corporation, has been awarded the UK’s Longitude Prize on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) for the development of its rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing technology, the PA-100 AST System, to tackle the global threat of AMR.

The system has been awarded £8m, which could implement significant change in antibiotic use by identifying the correct treatment for urinary tract infections (UTI) within 45 minutes.

Designated as one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity by the World Health Organization, AMR occurs when bacteria, fungi and parasites change and adapt to antibiotics over time, contributing to approximately five million bacterial infection-related deaths annually.

First established in 2014 by Challenge Works, the Longitude Prize aims to incentivise a cost-effective, accurate, rapid and easy-to-use test for bacterial infections to support health professionals worldwide in administering the correct antibiotics at the correct time.

Based on technology from Uppsala University in Sweden, the PA-100 AST System requires a 400-microlitre of urine to be placed on a cartridge and then placed into an analyser unit to spot bacterial infections within 15 minutes and identify the antibiotic to treat them within less than an hour.

The standard process would involve doctors sending a urinary sample to a laboratory for tests with results in 24 hours, with a turnaround time of two or three days.

The prize will help the company further accelerate its efforts to expand the global market and its application coverage of the PA-100 AST System, which intends to revolutionise conventional clinical workflows for infectious diseases.

Dame Sally Davies, a committee member of the Longitude Prize and the UK’s special envoy on AMR, commented: “We can no longer afford ‘just-in-case’ prescribing of antibiotics.

“The Longitude Prize winner lays the groundwork for a sea change in how we manage these precious medicines, where healthcare workers are supported with rapid and relevant diagnostic tests to make the best decisions for their patients.”