Groundbreaking work by Addenbrooke’s John Farman Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and other Cambridge partners to treat critically ill patients with life-threatening pneumonia is taking a huge leap forwards
Cambridge based biotechnology company EDX Medical will partner with the ICU to support 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.
The partnership between ICU CUH and EDX Medical, also involving 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 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.
John Farman ICU consultant, Dr Vilas Navapurkar, 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.
Dr Vilas Navapurkar
EDX Medical has licensed the intellectual property from CUH and Cambridge Enterprise and will undertake validation and further development work before supplying the completed test to Addenbrooke’s and other hospitals.
The test, developed on the John Farman ICU, 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.
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.
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 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.
Professor Sir Chris Evans
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 Mike Hudson