Public Funding for Cytecom Ltd

Cytecom have developed a rapid bacteria detector, the CyteCount. We discovered that we could electrically stimulate bacteria and, based on their response to electrical stimulation, determine whether they were alive or dead in seconds, creating the method termed optical electrophysiology. Many methods currently used to detect bacterial vitality rely on growth, or indirect markers of life. Thanks to the optical electrophysiology method, the CyteCount can quantify bacteria independent of growth (this is important because some bacteria take longer to grow, and therefore, longer to show a result) and gives a positive confirmation of life that can be measured and quantified. Detecting bacterial viability is particularly in food, water and healthcare where detection of bacterial contamination and infection is essential to ensure health and wellbeing of the population in preventing infection. Antibiotic-resistant infections are an emergent global health threat, with the World Health Organisation predicting it will overtake cancer as a leading cause of death in humans by 2050\. In essence, the drugs we use to treat bacterial infections are getting worse and worse and there is an urgent need for methods to diagnose these infections that can provide rapid results and gather data on the resistance profiles of different infections for the purpose of monitoring and tracking. Therefore, CyteCount has a natural fit as a diagnostic device for antibiotic-resistant infections due to its speed and ability to measure susceptibility to antibiotics. This project aims to address some key technical barriers in the CyteCount product that hinder its application in this vital role. Specifically, the CyteCount faces challenges with its limit of detection (the lowest amount of bacteria in a sample it can accurately detect) which is caused by false positives (incorrectly identifying non-bacteria elements as bacteria) and its low sample capacity. By partnering with technical experts through this application, the National Physical Laboratory and Newton, we have created a two-fold approach to addressing the problem. First, addressing the cause of the false positives, Newton with their mathematical expertise will create a novel, more accurate methodology to measuring bacterial signals. NPL, with their digital optics expertise will focus on pre-processing the CyteCount images to 'clean' them of identified false positive causes. Concurrently, sample capacity will be increased by a collaborative effort between NPL and Cytecom. NPL will bring their expertise in hydrogel synthesis and Cytecom will ensure compatibility with their system and create designs to harness the novel hydrogel substrate created.

Cytecom is an innovative new spin-out company from the University of Warwick with technology that will revolutionise the process of testing products for bacteria. As a result of the ICURe program we were able to guide our scientific discovery process with new information from markets and businesses. This allowed us to identify a clear need for a fast reliable and accurate bacteria detector. Current (reliable) methods require 48-72 hours. This causes delays and uncertainty during manufacture of beverages, food and during medical evaluations. Our technology allows the detection and identification of live bacteria at the flick of a switch (less than one hour) without sacrificing accuracy. This is a dramatic improvement on existing technologies. This funding will allow us to take our laboratory prototype detector and make a version which is compact and can be deployed in the field, providing these unique capabilities to the people who keep our food and water safe and ultimately accelerating diagnostic processes for medical professionals.