Quick urine test to show which antibiotics work for urinary tract infections
Official title: Rapid lateral flow-based antibiotic susceptibility testing for urinary tract infections
Funded at Latde Diagnostics Corp. · NIH-11134666 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A fast lateral-flow urine test designed to tell doctors which antibiotics will work for people with urinary tract infections during or shortly after a clinic visit.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 1 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Latde Diagnostics Corp. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Northampton, United States) |
| Project start | July 8, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $272,184 |
| NIH project number | 5R43AI186702-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11134666 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People seeking care for urinary tract infection symptoms at outpatient clinics or urgent care who can provide a urine sample would be the primary candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are hospitalized with severe or complicated infections, cannot provide urine samples, or have non-bacterial causes of their symptoms may not benefit from this test.
What this research studies
This project is building a small, outpatient-friendly kit that uses metabolic amino acid phenotyping on urine to identify antibiotic susceptibility in under two hours. The approach relies on a lateral-flow format so results can be generated at the point of care instead of sending samples to a central lab. If successful, clinicians could pick a targeted antibiotic the same day, reducing unnecessary broad antibiotic use. The development phase will focus on demonstrating the test’s feasibility and compatibility with routine outpatient workflows.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive the right antibiotic during the same visit, shortening symptoms, lowering complication risk, and reducing inappropriate antibiotic use.
How similar studies have gone: Rapid antibiotic-susceptibility technologies have shown promise in hospitals and labs, but applying a <2-hour lateral-flow metabolic amino acid phenotyping test specifically for outpatient UTI care is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Latde Diagnostics Corp.
Northampton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Melzer, Emily S — Latde Diagnostics Corp.
- Study coordinator: Melzer, Emily S
Related research
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New oral antifungal for tough Candida UTIs
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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.