Hardy Diagnostics Presents Rapid Microbiology Solutions at ADLM 2026

Hardy Diagnostics (Santa Maria, CA, USA) is highlighting rapid solutions for antimicrobial susceptibility testing and emerging-pathogen identification at ADLM 2026. At booth 3083, the company is featuring the QuickMIC Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing system and NG-TEST Candida auris assay.

QuickMIC performs phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing directly from positive blood cultures and provides precise minimum inhibitory concentration results in two to four hours. Its Gram-negative antibiotic panel is designed for common sepsis-causing bacteria, enabling laboratories to obtain actionable susceptibility information within the same working shift without plate culturing.

Image: QuickMIC is an IVD solution for rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing, using microfluidics and real-time imaging to deliver results in 2–4 hours (Photo courtesy of Hardy Diagnostics)

The modular QuickMIC platform can incorporate up to 12 instruments, with each unit processing one sample per run. It monitors bacterial microcolonies exposed to continuous antibiotic gradients and analyzes their growth patterns to determine susceptibility, including resistance that may not be captured by tests limited to predefined genetic markers.

The QuickMIC system and its Gram-negative panel are CE marked and commercially available in Europe. In the United States, the platform has received FDA Breakthrough Device designation but remains available for investigational use only and has not received 510(k) clearance.

Hardy Diagnostics is also presenting NG-TEST Candida auris, a manual lateral flow immunoassay that identifies Candida auris from isolated yeast colonies grown on agar plates or from turbid enrichment broth. The test delivers results in approximately 15 minutes without requiring complex instrumentation and is intended to support research, outbreak monitoring, and infection-control investigations.

NG-TEST Candida auris has received FDA Breakthrough Device designation but is currently available for research use only in the United States and is not intended for diagnostic or treatment decisions. Developed by NG Biotech and distributed in the U.S. by Hardy Diagnostics, the assay is designed to provide laboratories with afsimpler method for studying and tracking the emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen.

Through demonstrations and discussions at its booth, Hardy Diagnostics is showing how rapid phenotypic susceptibility testing and lateral flow technology can help microbiology laboratories shorten workflows and respond more quickly to antimicrobial resistance and emerging infectious threats.