Scientists and medics at Newcastle Hospitals are part of a national technology pilot to rapidly diagnose the cause of serious respiratory infections in critically ill patients.
The first of its kind test reads the DNA of bacteria, fungi and viruses in samples from patients in intensive care, bringing faster and more accurate results to target the most effective treatment.
Infections which affect the lungs, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, are the fourth biggest killers worldwide and speedy diagnosis is critical to guide effective treatment and recovery.
These severe chest infections can also lead to life threatening sepsis for patients already requiring round the clock intensive care.
The pilot involves scientists at the North East Innovation Lab, microbiologists, virologists and the intensive care department at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr Matt Faulds, intensive care consultant at the Freeman Hospital, is leading the pilot for ICU.
He said: “Newcastle is a large specialist healthcare centre with excellent laboratories which means we can set up and run this kind of testing. To be chosen to be part of the team to pilot this world first technology is testament to our scientific and medical expertise.”
He said the test could be a game changer.
“This pilot is about us being able to find the DNA signature on different kinds of bugs which you can find in someone’s lungs, and to be able to target the most effective treatment within hours.
“The potential to know what you have found in a sample so quickly rather than waiting days will be really quite amazing. This will improve our ability to treat respiratory infections and sepsis, potentially giving the right drugs much more rapidly and easily.”
He added: “In critical care, anything that we can do to investigate accurately what’s going on with the patient and give them potentially life-saving treatment as quickly as possible will mean our patients have the best chance of recovery.”
Diagnosing the cause of infection can be difficult. Currently, scientists receive samples from a patient and then attempt to grow bacteria, fungi, or viruses that may be present, a process which can take days.
Simon Rock, principal scientist at the North East Innovation Lab said: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Dr Manoj Valappil, consultant virologist at Newcastle Hospitals, said: “The new technology has the potential to identify all pathogens present in a sample at once, including some of which aren’t currently detected by standard testing.
“Accessing such comprehensive information will help to inform targeted treatment decisions for critically ill patients.”
If the pilot proves successful, the new genome testing service could be rolled out in the next year to two years. 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 and funded by NHS England and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology using technology developed by Oxford Nanopore.
