OpGen, Inc., a Gaithersburg, Maryland-based molecular diagnostics company, has launched a new molecular-based test that can identify patients at risk for harboring antibiotic-resistant disease-causing microbes. The Acuitas MDRO Gene Test, a comprehensive molecular screening tool, can directly detect as many as seven genes from one patient sample. It is designed to help hospitals and public health officials combat some of the most critical multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) threatening patients.
“Drug-resistant ‘superbugs’ pose a serious and immediate threat to the world’s health and safety, increasing the likelihood of prolonged illnesses, higher costs, and death,” says Evan Jones, OpGen’s Chairman and CEO, “The new Acuitas MDRO Gene Test makes MDRO screening more efficient and cost-effective by delivering comprehensive, precise, and actionable information to healthcare practitioners within 24 hours.”
Company representatives draw a contrast between the Acuitas test and current microbe detection methods based on growing cells in laboratory culture, a process that can take up to four days and can miss patients at risk for being colonized. They stress that the Acuitas test uses highly sensitive molecular technology to detect antibiotic-resistant genes and can distinguish specific genes that may aid in therapeutic guidance, and that molecular technologies have been shown to have sensitivity greater than 95%. “This test will provide the most comprehensive and precise MDRO information in the shortest time with an aim to improve antibiotic stewardship programs, increase the effectiveness of infection and outbreak prevention, and improve patient outcomes,” says Terry Walker, PhD, the company’s Vice President, R&D.
The Acuitas MDRO Gene Test is currently performed at the CLIA-certified OpGen Clinical Services Laboratory in Gaithersburg. Read more about the Acuitas MDRO Tests from OpGen.
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