Scientists at the North East Innovation Lab are part of a national technology pilot to rapidly diagnose the cause of serious respiratory infections in critically ill patients.
The NHS England pilot, believed to be the first of its kind, is taking place across ten sites, led by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.
Principal Scientist Simon Rock from the North East Innovation Lab (NEIL), is presenting the latest progress of the project at the NHS Respiratory Genomics Network Day held at Guy’s and St Thomas. He is joined by colleague consultant Virologist Manoj Valappil.
Simon and the team have established a pilot rapid metagenomic testing service capable of identifying respiratory pathogens, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, in under 7 hours.
These infections are the fourth biggest killers worldwide and speedy diagnosis is critical to guide effective treatment and recovery.
“This new approach not only speeds up the diagnosis but also allows scientists to identify if the organism causing the disease is resistant to any antibiotics. This is really important for guiding the most effective therapy and treatment for patients who are critically ill.
“This technology can be applied to diseases we already know about, but it can also help with pathogen surveillance to identify new causes of disease, making us much better equipped to deal with future outbreaks or fast-spreading diseases,” he said.
Beyond accelerating diagnosis for critically ill patients, these new tools can be used for pathogen surveillance, supporting early detection of emerging threats and informing public health responses.
If the pilot proves successful, the new genome testing service could be rolled out in the next year to two years.
