Base4 is a biotechnology SME based in Cambridge. The TSB is part-funding a project that will develop our nanopore-based technology for application to infectious disease diagnostics. The outcome will be a broad-spectrum pathogen screening device with: (i) unrivalled speed for multiplex screening; (ii) the same (or better) sensitivity and specificity as multiplex PCR, but without the need for pathogen-specific probes or primers; (iii) the ability to adapt to new or emerging pathogens without changing any of the physical components of the system; and (iv) the ability to detect very low numbers of pathogens in a given sample, therefore avoiding the need for culture. Our technology has the potential to fundamentally change how infectious diseases are diagnosed, dramatically reducing the need to rely on symptoms for diagnosis and bringing significant public healthcare benefits by reducing the time to deliver targeted treatment for high-impact infectious diseases.

Based in Cambridge, Base4 is developing a single-molecule detector with the capacity for detection of up to 1 billion single molecules per second, thousands of times faster than is otherwise possible. Entirely solid-state, there is a well-worn path towards large scale production and the cost of consumables will be very low. Not reliant on enzymes or pathogen binding sites, there is significant capacity to rapidly increase the number of target pathogens which can be tested simultaneously. The aim of this project is to produce a rapid, highly sensitive, low-cost multiple analyte diagnostic for use in point-of-care specifically targeting the pathogens C. difficile, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and MRSA. The project will last 3 years and will result in pilot trials beginning in month 24. The consortium will be led by Base4, with partners including the Pathogen Sequencing Unit at the Sanger Wellcome Trust, the University of Cambridge Veterinary School, and the Pathology Dept at Addenbrookes Hospital.