Technology which can detect MRSA in just 15 mins revealed

New technology and the latest innovations in laboratory medicine were the main focus of the inaugural Transformation Talks, taking place at Medblab Middle East until February 6 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

In line with the show’s theme of transforming tomorrow’s diagnostics, a range of new features have been added to the 2020 edition of Medlab Middle East, including the Transformation Hub, where manufacturers have the opportunity to pitch their healthcare solutions to thousands of distributors.

Speaking on the second day of the Transformation Talks, Prof Piotr Garstecki, CEO and founder of Scope Fluidics Group, the company behind PCR|ONE, which is able to detect MRSA in just 15 minutes, said, “Technology is truly transforming medical diagnostics and healthcare and we are excited to take part in this process and contribute to faster and better access to information. This access to information is key to effective treatment because information allows for better formation of decisions. It saves lives and increases the comfort of patients and, ultimately, helps to reduce healthcare costs.”

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention,

MRSA causes more than 80,000 invasive infections and over 10,000 deaths annually in the US alone. The most effective way to combat MRSA is via a search and destroy policy, which assumes every patient admitted to the healthcare system is at risk. The current procedures to identify MRSA carriers and antibiotic resistance are complicated and costly and put added pressure on the healthcare sector.

“The search and destroy policy urgently requires a rapid, accessible, and affordable diagnostic method than can be used in various settings. We believe PCR|ONE meets this crucial global need for a single-step method for rapidly and inexpensively identifying MRSA directly from nasal swabs,” added Prof Garstecki.

Other innovations discussed during the second day of Transformation Talks included the use of cloud based big data initiative for epidemiology; rapid, point of care DNA testing; automation; digital pathology; and genomics biology at high resolution.

Tom Coleman, group exhibition director, Informa Markets Healthcare, said, “The advances in technology we see today will play a crucial role when speeding up the identification of a range of diseases.”