ACUSEP

Integrated whole blood acoustophoresis and homogeneous nucleic acid detection cartridge for rapid sepsis diagnostics

 Coordinatore TURUN YLIOPISTO 

 Organization address address: YLIOPISTONMAKI
city: TURUN YLIOPISTO
postcode: 20014

contact info
Titolo: Dr.
Nome: Eliisa
Cognome: Särkilahti
Email: send email
Telefono: +358 2 3336155
Fax: +358 2 3336446

 Nazionalità Coordinatore Finland [FI]
 Totale costo 3˙747˙480 €
 EC contributo 2˙870˙410 €
 Programma FP7-HEALTH
Specific Programme "Cooperation": Health
 Code Call FP7-HEALTH-2010-two-stage
 Funding Scheme CP-FP
 Anno di inizio 2010
 Periodo (anno-mese-giorno) 2010-12-01   -   2014-05-31

 Partecipanti

# participant  country  role  EC contrib. [€] 
1    TURUN YLIOPISTO

 Organization address address: YLIOPISTONMAKI
city: TURUN YLIOPISTO
postcode: 20014

contact info
Titolo: Dr.
Nome: Eliisa
Cognome: Särkilahti
Email: send email
Telefono: +358 2 3336155
Fax: +358 2 3336446

FI (TURUN YLIOPISTO) coordinator 1˙126˙690.00
2    LUNDS UNIVERSITET

 Organization address address: Paradisgatan 5c
city: LUND
postcode: 22100

contact info
Titolo: Dr.
Nome: Tord
Cognome: Hjalt
Email: send email
Telefono: 46705438136
Fax: 46462224527

SE (LUND) participant 970˙290.00
3    UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE MADRID

 Organization address address: CALLE EINSTEIN, CIUDAD UNIV CANTOBLANCO RECTORADO 3
city: MADRID
postcode: 28049

contact info
Titolo: Ms.
Nome: Ana
Cognome: Amigo
Email: send email
Telefono: +34 914972897
Fax: +34 914973010

ES (MADRID) participant 461˙350.00
4    ABACUS DIAGNOSTICA OY

 Organization address address: TYKISTOKATU 4D
city: TURKU
postcode: 20520

contact info
Titolo: Dr.
Nome: Piia
Cognome: Von Lode
Email: send email
Telefono: 358207000000
Fax: 358207000000

FI (TURKU) participant 165˙260.00
5    VARSINAIS-SUOMEN SAIRAANHOITOPIIRIN KUNTAYHTYMA

 Organization address address: KIINAMYLLYNKATU 4-8
city: TURKU
postcode: 20520

contact info
Titolo: Dr.
Nome: Olli-Pekka
Cognome: Lehtonen
Email: send email
Telefono: +358 2 3132904
Fax: +358 2 3133924

FI (TURKU) participant 146˙820.00

Mappa


 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

diagnosis    waves    hours    probe    detected    directly    ultrasonic    combining    rapid    samples    patients    antibiotic    homogeneous    acoustophoretic    dry    bacteria    clinical    diagnostics    acusep    dna    pcr    annually    suspected    resistance    identification    sepsis    pathogens    photoluminescent    reagent    deaths    amplification    nucleic    multiplexed    detection    disposable    sound    acid    organisms    genes    tested    causing    ready    cartridge    causes    blood    reaction    assays    prototype    allowed    collection    technologies    survival    consists   

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The objective of the ACUSEP research project is to develop an integrated, dry-reagent based disposable ready-to-use cartridge enabling rapid analysis of sepsis-causing organisms and eventual identification of antibiotic resistance directly from suspected blood samples. Sepsis causes annually up to 135 000 deaths in Europe and the early diagnosis is the key to improved survival. Identification of the antibiotic resistance is further beneficial to fast initiation of proper antimicrobial treatment. The rapid diagnostics of sepsis and identification of the causative pathogens can be achieved by research utilizing the recent technological advances; combining acoustophoretic collection of the pathogens from whole blood and photoluminescent dual-tag probe-pair detection technology with nucleic acid amplification providing excellent sensitivity and speed needed in acute diagnostics. The consortium is assembled to cover all the key research areas of the project. It consists of academic research organizations with significant technical and scientific experience of acoustophoretic target organism collection and purification, nucleic acid amplification, photoluminescent reporters and multiplexed homogeneous probe detection technologies. The project will proceed in phases, divided to both parallel and serial tasks in collaboration with SME and clinical partners involved, to perform a clinical evaluation of the developed prototype consumable assay cartridge and to initiate further exploitation activities. The specific objective in FP7 HEALTH-2010 addressed to is to “develop detection and analytical tools and technologies for diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of diseases.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Sepsis causes annually up to 135 000 deaths in Europe, and rapid diagnosis is the key to improved survival. Combining pathogen collection from whole blood using ultrasonic sound waves and photoluminescent DNA detection technology promises to make this a reality.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Current diagnostic methods for sepsis rely on culturing patient blood and tests to identify bacteria and their antibiotic resistance, which take up to several days. Rapid diagnostics of sepsis-causing bacteria can save the lives of infected patients.

The EU-funded http://www.acusep.fi (ACUSEP) project aimed to provide a proof-of-concept for new sepsis diagnostics that can detect very few bacteria in the blood within hours. The objective of ACUSEP was to develop a disposable ready-to-use cartridge enabling rapid analysis of sepsis-causing organisms directly from suspected blood samples.

To achieve this, scientists used the microfluidic method of acoustophoresis to collect bacteria by ultrasonic sound waves in a small sample. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes.

The detection system consists of several components developed by project participants. Acoustophoretic devices for separation and enrichment of bacteria from blood proved to work with blood samples spiked with bacteria. Novel lanthanide luminescence label molecules detected bacterial DNA in a PCR reaction. Solid-phase oligonucleotide probe arrays allowed for homogeneous multiplexed detection of PCR amplification products. Sensitive PCR assays detected and identified the five most important sepsis-causing bacteria along with several antibiotic resistance genes.

In the integrated system PCR assays, converted to dry-reagent chips allowed automated processing of the PCR reaction. The project fabricated and tested four successive prototypes of the integrated system. The most successful prototype was tested in a clinical study and compared with traditional sepsis diagnostics. The ACUSEP prototype detected bacteria in the blood of patients within two hours. The results were later confirmed by blood culture.

ACUSEP's system has high potential. If developed further and processed to a commercial product, it could become important in the care of suspected sepsis patients in hospitals. Rapid identification of the sepsis causing bacteria and the possible antibiotic resistance they carry will decrease mortality and morbidity.

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