Thermo Fisher Presents Q-linea ASTar System for Rapid AST Testing at ECCMID 2022

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 22 Apr 2022

Image: Q-linea ASTar System is a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (rAST) system (Photo courtesy of Thermo Fisher)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (Waltham, MA; USA) presented its comprehensive solutions to support labs in sepsis diagnosis and treatment, infectious disease testing and environmental sustainability at ECCMID 2022. ECCMID is the largest international meeting of clinical microbiologists and infectious diseases specialists with around 14,000 professional attendees.

Timely detection of bacteria, viruses, and their associated drug resistance could guide treatment decisions, and in the age of rampant antimicrobial resistance (AMR), it’s more important than ever to fast forward results for the critically ill. Innovative diagnostics could be the key to adjusting treatment, staying ahead of AMR and advancing antimicrobial stewardship. Visitors to Thermo Fisher’s booth at ECCMID 2022 experienced the new Q-linea ASTar System for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (rAST), distributed exclusively by the company. The fully automated, easy-to-use system utilizes advanced imaging techniques and algorithms to monitor bacterial growth, removing the need for subculture, which alone can take an additional one to two days. The system is based on the ISO 20776-1 AST frozen broth microdilution methods, and as such it produces the all-important MIC results physicians can use to deliver more personalized antibiotic treatment to the critically ill.

The Q-linea ASTar rAST system provides true minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) results in less than six hours. Conventional AST methods can take up to 72 hours to yield a result. The reduction in time-to-result may be a factor in reducing AMR as clinicians often prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics while awaiting laboratory guidance on more targeted therapy. This practice is believed to contribute to the emerging pandemic of AMR1, which threatens to claim 10 million lives a year by 2050. Reducing AMR could be expected to reduce mortality rates by around 40%, and could also support a decrease in healthcare costs by reducing hospital stay and delivering per-patient cost savings of between USD 2,500 and USD 20,000.

"When we say rapid, we mean it. With approximately six hours to result, the ASTar System can process up to 12 samples in parallel for the patients who need it most," said Romain Lecomte, senior director, clinical product marketing, Thermo Fisher Scientific microbiology. "Equipped with a panel design containing the broadest combination of antimicrobials and dilution ranges in a single test for Gram-negative bacteria, laboratories can deliver truly targeted therapy, with only two minutes of hands-on time."

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