A UK-based company is getting ready to test a handheld device that could help physicians better identify the flu and other infectious diseases – and in doing so curb the wasteful over-prescription of antibiotics.
OJ Bio, headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, is unveiling a device that tests biological samples (serum, saliva or blood) on a disposable biochip for the presence of a disease antigen, which is then converted to an electronic signal and displayed on a mobile app on an accompanying smartphone or tablet. The company plans to test the device soon on influenza A and B viruses, as well as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and hopes to soon target C-reactive protein, a biomarker of inflammatory disease that could help physicians rule out serious bacterial infections and help them reduce the unnecessary prescription of antiobiotics.
“Currently, GPs and frontline health workers have no easy way of determining if a patient with flu-like symptoms is suffering from a bacterial or viral infection and may therefore take the cautious decision to prescribe antibiotics," Dale Athey, OJ Bio's chief executive, said in a recent press release. “However, by providing an immediate indication of a lack of bacterial infection at the point of care, the device removes this uncertainty, helping the patient to understand why antibiotics may not be necessary and are not being prescribed.”
The mHealth device being developed by an international team. The surface acoustic wave (SAW) electronic chips are manufactured by the Japan Radio Company of Japan, while the disease-specific biocapture surfaces are made by UK-based nano-biotechnology specialists Orla Protein Technologies. Both are parent companies of OJ Bio.
According to company officials, the presence of a disease antigen on the chip changes the phase angle of the acoustic wave passing across the chip's surface, and is then translated into an electronic signal. The signal is transmitted via Bluetooth technology to diagnostic software and displayed on a corresponding app within seconds.
