Automated Positive Blood Culture Sample Preparation Platform Designed to Fight Against Sepsis and AMR

Delayed administration of antibiotics to patients with bloodstream infections significantly increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. For optimal therapeutic outcomes, it is crucial to rapidly identify pathogens and perform antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). A quicker identification process from positive blood cultures provides actionable data that helps in adjusting therapy for bacteremia patients. Now, an automated platform designed to fight against sepsis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) enables rapid microbial identification directly from positive blood culture samples.

Accelerate Diagnostics (Tuscon, AZ, USA) has introduced the Accelerate Arc system and BC kit, an innovative automated platform designed for positive blood culture sample preparation. The system is designed for use with Bruker's (Billerica, MA, USA) MALDI Biotyper CA System (MBT-CA System) and its MBT-CA Sepsityper software extension. Tailored for clinical laboratories, the Accelerate Arc system simplifies the workflow by automating the preparation of positive blood culture samples for direct downstream microbial identification using Bruker's MBT-CA system. This eliminates the need for traditional overnight culture methods, drastically reducing the time required for microbial identification, which is essential in managing sepsis.

Image: The Accelerate Arc System has been granted US FDA 510(k) clearance (Photo courtesy of Accelerate Diagnostics)

The Accelerate Arc system utilizes Bruker's extensive MBT-CA reference library for rapid pathogen identification. Combined with future advancements like the Accelerate WAVE system for rapid phenotypic AST, it enables same-shift reporting to antimicrobial stewardship teams and clinicians. This fast access to both identification and AST results helps clinicians initiate optimal antibiotic therapy hours earlier, improving patient outcomes in sepsis, reducing antimicrobial resistance, and lowering hospital costs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for the Accelerate Arc system and BC kit. Additionally, the Accelerate Arc system is designed to replace both overnight subculturing and labor-intensive Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) methods. As clinical laboratories face increasing regulatory pressure to use FDA-cleared devices, the Accelerate Arc system offers an automated, FDA-cleared solution for these settings.

"The FDA Clearance of the Accelerate Arc system marks the beginning of an exciting journey in our broader innovation roadmap. Together with the Accelerate WAVE system we are positioned to empower laboratories to deliver faster, more actionable results to clinicians, ultimately enhancing patient care and outcomes," said Jack Phillips, President and CEO of Accelerate Diagnostics.

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Accelerate Diagnostics
Bruker