Fast blood test to find bacteria and tell which antibiotics will work
Rapid ID and AST Directly from Whole Blood Using Single Molecule Detection
A new blood test that finds bacteria and shows which antibiotics will work for people with suspected bloodstream infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Scanogen, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11249969 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have a suspected bloodstream infection, this project is building a fast blood test that works directly on whole blood using a single-molecule detection method called SMOLT. The test is designed to identify bacteria within about an hour and determine antibiotic susceptibility within 4–6 hours by briefly exposing detected bacteria to antibiotics and measuring responses. The team reports lab results that can detect very low levels of bacteria (1–10 colony-forming units per mL) and aims to make the test simple and low-cost for hospital use. Ultimately you would get identification and antibiotic guidance much sooner than with standard blood-culture methods.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with suspected bloodstream infections or sepsis who need rapid identification of the infecting bacteria and guidance on effective antibiotics.
Not a fit: Patients without bloodstream infection, with infections confined to other body sites, or whose blood tests are affected by prior antibiotics may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive targeted antibiotics within hours instead of days, reducing use of broad-spectrum drugs and improving treatment outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: Other direct-from-blood rapid diagnostic tests have shown promise, but combining fast identification with reliable rapid antibiotic-susceptibility testing is less established, making this approach promising but relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, UNITED STATES
- Scanogen, INC. — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Celedon, Alfredo Andres — Scanogen, INC.
- Study coordinator: Celedon, Alfredo Andres
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.