We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Novel Diagnostic Technique Could Revolutionize Identification of Pathogens in Biological Samples

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 26 Apr 2023
Print article
Image: The new diagnostic technique could rapidly detect low-abundance pathogens in biological samples (Photo courtesy of Freepik)
Image: The new diagnostic technique could rapidly detect low-abundance pathogens in biological samples (Photo courtesy of Freepik)

In cases where a patient suffers from an infection, particularly in their bloodstream, traditional methods can take up to seven days to identify pathogens. This delay impedes prompt and accurate diagnosis and treatment, negatively affecting the patient's prognosis. A similar lag occurs in cell therapy product manufacturing, where it can take seven to 14 days to detect contaminants like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. As cell therapy products cannot be sterilized, early contaminant detection is crucial to restart the production cycle, ensuring the safe and prompt delivery of these products to patients.

A research team from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART, Singapore) is developing an innovative diagnostic method capable of quickly identifying low-abundance pathogens in biological samples. In prior research, the team developed electrostatic microfiltration as an efficient sample preparation device for bacteria enrichment. Their current goal is to integrate this microfilter with mainstream detection methods, allowing for bacterial detection using digital loop-mediated isothermal amplification—a type of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The resulting system will be fast, single-use, portable, and user-friendly, eliminating the need for a highly specialized facility. Additionally, it will be compatible with other advanced downstream detection techniques and can easily be incorporated into existing commercial kits or facilities to enhance detection method performance.

“This project builds on on-going projects at SMART focused on separating viruses and bacteria – which are much smaller than mammalian cells – from biological samples, and could revolutionize the way pathogens are identified,” said Dr. Yaoping Liu, Senior Postdoctoral Associate at SMART CAMP, who is leading the research team. “The use of an efficient and relatively cost-effective method could significantly improve the prognosis of sepsis and other infectious diseases, and allow the delivery of timely and more personalized care.”

Related Links:
SMART 

Gold Member
Veterinary Hematology Analyzer
Exigo H400
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Binocular Laboratory LED Illuminated Microscope
HumaScope Classic LED
New
Centrifuge
Hematocrit Centrifuge 7511M4

Print article

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: Researcher Kanta Horie places a sample in a mass spectrometer that measures protein levels in blood plasma and other fluids (Photo courtesy of WashU Medicine)

Highly Accurate Blood Test Diagnoses Alzheimer’s and Measures Dementia Progression

Several blood tests are currently available to assist doctors in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in individuals experiencing cognitive symptoms. However, these tests do not provide insights into the clinical... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The findings were based on patients from the ADAURA clinical trial of the targeted therapy osimertinib for patients with NSCLC with EGFR-activated mutations (Photo courtesy of YSM Multimedia Team)

Post-Treatment Blood Test Could Inform Future Cancer Therapy Decisions

In the ongoing advancement of personalized medicine, a new study has provided evidence supporting the use of a tool that detects cancer-derived molecules in the blood of lung cancer patients years after... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.