RID Launches a One-Button Solution for Microbiology Testing That Provides Pathogen ID and Antibiotic Sensitivity in 5 Hours

CALGARY, AB, Jan. 15, 2025 /CNW/ - Rapid Infection Diagnostics Inc. (RID) is pleased to announce the launch of the BSIDx, a disruptive microbiology testing system for bloodstream infections. With the push of a button, the BSIDx identifies disease-causing organisms and performs antibiotic susceptibility testing from positive blood cultures, in under 5 hours.

In a head-to-head race, the BSIDx was 30 hours faster than conventional testing tools. These findings, which were published in Nature Communications, show how RID's metabolomics-based strategy can be harnessed to complete microbiology testing in a fraction of the current diagnostic timeline.

"This technology has amazing potential," says Dr. Ian Lewis, Associate Professor and Director of the Alberta Centre for Advanced Diagnostics at the University of Calgary. "The chances of dying from a bloodstream infection increase by 8% per hour until the right antibiotic is administered," says Dr. Lewis. "Rapid testing can save thousands of lives and shorten hospital stays."

The BSIDx was developed in partnership with Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL), Canada's largest diagnostic provider. "There is a strong unmet need for rapid microbiology testing tools that are low-cost, automated, and can support the massive testing volumes," says Dr. Michael Mengel, APL's North Sector Medical Director. "This technology was designed to address the significant challenges large labs face in delivering timely diagnostics."

"Our testing system uses a high-sensitivity mass spectrometer which detects the minute quantities of metabolites microbes normally secrete," says Dr. Thomas Rydzak, RID Chief Scientific Officer and inventor of the BSIDx technology. "These patterns change when microbes are exposed to antibiotics, and the BSIDx can translate this into information about antibiotic effectiveness."

"The BSIDx allows us to identify the right antibiotic faster," says Dr. Daniel Gregson, MD, an Infectious Disease Clinician and Clinical Microbiologist. "This is important because it will improve patient outcomes and will help reduce selection for organisms that are resistant to front-line antibiotics."

The BSIDx has recently launched its first preclinical evaluations. "These trials will provide the critical performance data we need to advance this disruptive new technology," says Dr. Lewis. "Our collaboration with APL is a critical step towards bringing the technology to the world." RID anticipates launching formal BSIDx clinical trials in 2025.

To learn more visit: www.rapiddiagnostics.ca

SOURCE Rapid Infection Diagnostics, Inc.