UK scientists create groundbreaking NHS Pneumonia test
A groundbreaking new test has been developed in the UK to detect and characterise early signs of pneumonia in critically ill NHS patients.
EDX Medical Group plc, which develops innovative digital diagnostic products and services supporting personalised treatments for cancer, cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases, has announced it is to complete the development of the advanced pneumonia test in collaboration with leading health, academic and government organisations.
EDX Medical will partner with the Intensive Care Unit at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) to support the further advancement of a highly precise test that identifies the DNA or RNA of the microbes that cause lung infection in critically ill patients. Once the test is completed the results will be read using digital technology and made available to ICU doctors in 60 seconds, removing the waiting time for a manual test result.
This public-private partnership, which also involves the University of Cambridge, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Cambridge Enterprise, should mean the test is available for NHS patients this year.
The work, backed in the early stages by Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) supports the Government’s 10-year strategic plan for the NHS by deploying digital technology to bedside care to treat patients better and earlier.
The test, developed on CUH’s John Farman Intensive Care Unit, provides sensitive identification and quantification of the microbes (bacteria, fungi and viruses) that can cause chest infections in the critically ill, enabling rapid selection of the most effective treatment.
Community acquired pneumonias (CAP) and hospital acquired pneumonias (HAP) are common major life-threatening diseases that require rapid and accurate testing coupled to precision treatment. HAPs alone cost the NHS an estimated £1.5 billion per year and take almost 1 million bed days from service, much of which can be avoided by early detections. CAP is the commonest infectious reason for patients to be admitted to intensive care, and is estimated to cost the NHS £731 million/year. Pandemic respiratory infections also occur on a cyclical basis, and being able to detect known pathogens and rapidly adapt assays to deal with emerging pathogens was critical during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid test capability will better equip the ICU for any future pandemics.
NHS England estimates suggest that in England alone each year 72,542 people develop hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), leading to 15,072 deaths and the avoidable loss of 459,755 hospital bed days annually, much of which may be avoided by early detection. 83,000 patients are thought to develop CAP every year, with hospitalised cases accounting for 95% of the costs of this condition.
EDX Medical has licensed the intellectual property and clinical research for the test from the consortium of collaborators and will complete validation and further development work before supplying the completed test under ISO 15189 (2022) accreditation to Addenbrooke’s Hospital and other hospitals within the CUH’s catchment area from the EDX Medical laboratory in Cambridge UK.
Currently completing validation in the EDX Medical laboratories in Cambridge, the new pneumonia test is expected to be available later this year for CUH patients and subject to validation, CUH has also entered into a service agreement with EDX Medical to provide the assay for its critically ill patients for the next four years.
EDX Medical will, under an existing collaboration with global life sciences company, Thermo Fisher Scientific, also develop and validate a kit version of the test that can then be provided to other hospitals and laboratories in the UK and Europe, subject to regulatory approval.
Professor Sir Chris Evans, founder of EDX Medical, said: “This is a massively important project which will result in a world class test that will demonstrate the immediate impact of new clinical diagnostics in frontline NHS hospitals, saving both lives and resources.”
Dr Mike Hudson, CEO of EDX Medical said: “It’s a great privilege to collaborate with the leading experts at Addenbrooke’s and Cambridge University to make this test available as soon as possible for NHS patients in the UK.”
Dr Vilas Navapurkar, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia, Cambridge University Hospitals said: “As well as treating patients in Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the CUH – EDX partnership will significantly improve the care of critically ill ICU patients across the UK and Europe. Building on our existing partnerships with the University of Cambridge and UKHSA demonstrates why Cambridge is uniquely positioned to advance healthcare in the future.”
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