Case Study: Developing Faster, More Accurate UTI Tests

Gillian Maxwell, KTP Associate, is working on an exciting project in the UHI Division of Biomedical Sciences at the Life Science Innovation Centre to develop an innovative test for UTIs that could make testing easier, faster and more accurate.

UTIs are a substantial burden on the NHS, accounting for ~3% of all GP consultations and 800,000 hospital admissions in 5 years. They also account for ~20% of antibiotic prescriptions in primary care, at a cost of a whooping ~ £47 million. Currently, UTIs are treated in 3 ways, blind prescribing of antibiotics (contributes to development of antibiotic resistance); sending a sample away for a full culture (more accurate prescribing but takes ~72 hrs) or carrying out a urinary dipstick test (which is cheap, but unreliable).

Gillian is working on a project with Inverness-based SME, IDE8 to develop a colour-based product using superabsorbent polymer beads, which when rehydrated with urine, will swell and change colour in the presence of bacteria. This will not only detect the majority of UTIs; but also indicate what the most effective antibiotic is. The aim is to make this test fast, cheap and easy to use in any location, such as doctor’s surgeries, pharmacies or even at home, easing the financial burden of testing for hospitals and primary care.

(Pictures of Gillian Maxwell, KTP associate, using the DLab SP-V1000 spectrophotometer)

If you are looking to purchase a Spectrophotometer you can check out our range HERE.