Biosensor Technology To Be Developed for Urinary Tract Infections

Rapid, species-specific detection of bacteria in human clinical fluid samples using a microfabricated electrochemical sensor array will be developed for diagnosis of urinary tract infections.

In current laboratory practice, pathogens in urine specimens are grown in culture dishes until they can be visually identified. The major drawback of this technique is the two-day time lag between specimen collection and bacteria identification. As a result, physicians must decide whether to prescribe antibiotic therapy, and if so, which antibiotic to use--all without knowing the actual cause of the infection, if any. In contrast, the new biosensor technology would allow physicians to prescribe targeted treatment within two hours.

Scientists from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA; Los Angeles, CA, USA), the Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (Los Angeles, CA, USA), GeneFluidics, Inc. (Monterey Park, CA, USA), and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ, USA) have received a five-year, US $3.2 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH; Bethesda, MD, USA) to produce a rapid diagnostic technique urinary tract infections--the most common cause of hospital-associated infection in the United States.

The technology was initially developed by UCLA/VA scientists together with GeneFluidics. Joe Wang, director of the Biodesign Institute's Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, will join the collaboration to improve the performance of the test by enhancing its sensitivity and speed. "Biodesign's expertise will make it possible to quickly bring the electrochemical sensor to clinical reality. Working together, we hope to fundamentally change the way antibiotics are selected for the treatment of infectious diseases,” said Dr. David Haake, professor of medicine at UCLA and an infectious diseases specialist at the VA.

The ability to detect the genetic signature of a bacterial pathogen is the basis of the assay. The scientists will use 16S rRNA, a ribosomal molecule found in all bacteria, to identify the bacterial species. The team will focus on enhancing the performance and validation of the electrochemical biosensor assay and will develop an antimicrobial susceptibility test to rapidly select the best antibiotic for treatment.

Industrial partner GeneFluidics will help deliver a custom-built, fully functional prototype, called Pathosense, within the time frame of the grant. At the conclusion of the grant period, the team hopes to work with GeneFluidics for near-term deployment of the Pathosense instrument in multicenter clinical testing.

"Our mission is to create a new technology to solve an old problem, which is the diagnosis of urinary tract infections--the second most common bacterial infection--in a clinically relevant time frame,” said Dr. Bernard Churchill, chief of pediatric urology at the Clark-Morrison Children's Urological Center at UCLA.


Related Links:
David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles
Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System