First Light Biosciences Develops Rapid Test for C. Difficile Toxin B. in Stool Samples
CHELMSFORD, Mass., November 28, 2018 (Newswire.com) - First Light Biosciences, a developer of breakthrough automated diagnostic products for rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective diagnostic tests for life-threatening infections, today announced the results of their scientific poster, “A Rapid Single Molecule Counting Method Sensitively Detects Clostridium difficile Toxin B Directly in Stool Samples,” which was presented at the ASM Microbe 2018 conference.
The poster builds on the results of First Light’s peer-reviewed paper, “A Rapid, Accurate, Single Molecule Counting Method Detects Clostridium difficile Toxin B in Stool Samples” in Nature Scientific Reports. The poster summarizes the results of clinical feasibility studies demonstrating the performance of First Light’s novel test for ultrasensitive detection of the toxin that causes C. difficile infection (CDI). This devastating gastrointestinal infection causes about half of all hospital infections and leads to 29,000 deaths every year in the US – about as many as die in automobile accidents. For this reason, C. difficile is the top pathogen on CDC’s list of Urgent Threats.
The results demonstrate the technology’s potential to rapidly detect CDI with high clinical sensitivity and specificity both of which are required to best treat patients. In contrast, the current technologies on the market lack either sensitivity or specificity. The ultrasensitive detection of the Company’s MultiPath CDI test is expected to detect infected patients that are missed by current immunoassay methods and may not get life-saving therapy. The test’s potential for high specificity should also dramatically lower the number of uninfected patients that are overtreated because they are misdiagnosed with CDI by genotyping technologies.
Besides highlighting the MultiPath CDI test’s potential to address the accuracy issues associated with current tests, the poster presents results demonstrating the test’s accuracy in a manufactured consumable cartridge containing stabilized reagents, run on a prototype fully automated continuous random access, MultiPath Analyzer.
“We were pleased to have the opportunity to present the results of our rapid, ultrasensitive MultiPath CDI test at the ASM Microbe conference this year,” said David Macdonald, CEO of First Light Biosciences. “The work shows our technology’s potential to provide the first rapid, highly accurate, affordable, and easy-to-use test for CDI, which is the most common life-threatening hospital infection.”
View the poster A Rapid Single Molecule Counting Method Sensitively Detects Clostridium difficile Toxin B Directly in Stool Samples.
About First Light Biosciences:
First Light Biosciences is developing and preparing to commercialize, innovative diagnostic products for rapid, sensitive and cost-saving detection of life-threatening infections, and for combating the spread of antibiotic resistance. Don Straus is the company’s Founder and primary inventor of the company’s core scientific technology. Based on its proprietary MultiPath™ detection technology, First Light’s products combine the clinical performance of the most advanced commercial laboratory tests with speed, cost-effectiveness, and ease-of-use. The tests rapidly detect infections, identify infectious agents, and determine effective targeted antibiotic therapy. This will improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and prevent inappropriate use of powerful antibiotics. To learn more, please visit www.firstlightibio.com.
Public relations contact:
David Macdonald
President and CEO
First Light Biosciences
dmacdonald@firstlightbio.com
Mobile: (858) 997-9641
Source: First Light Biosciences
