New spin out company to combat resistance to antibiotics

28 May 2014

Spectromics Limited develops ten minute test to stop over-prescription

The University has launched a spin out company to develop technology which could see an end to the over prescription of antibiotics.

Spectromics Limited is developing a 10 minute test for doctors to see if a patient requires antibiotics.

The test comprises a small instrument and a cartridge into which the sample is added, before indicating which, if any, antibiotic should be used.

Over the next three years Spectromics will focus on the commercial development of its application for urinary tract infection – the most prevalent bacterial infection – with test specific cartridges for other clinical applications to follow.

And the company plans to raise “significant investment” to build the organisation and bring the product to market quickly.

Currently, lab tests to determine whether a drug is required and which is most effective takes days. This can result in over-prescription of antibiotics, which has led to bugs showing resistance to them, now a much-discussed global problem.

Stephen France, Business Development Portfolio Manager of UMIP, said: “When we saw the speed of this technology we knew it was a winner and this why we didn’t hesitate to build a business to exploit it fully.”

Spectromics is the result of three years of research by company directors Professor Roy Goodacre of the Institute of Biotechnology and School of Chemistry and Dr Mathew Upton of the School of Biomedical and Healthcare Sciences at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, formerly at the School of Inflammation and Repair here at The University of Manchester.