Product design and development firm Cambridge Consultants is working with medical device start-up WaveGuide Corporation on a world first to tackle the global problem of tuberculosis (TB), as well as other diseases. The two companies are developing a unique portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scanner to provide fast, low-cost, point-of-care (POC) testing for disease in developing countries and geographically remote locations.
TB is one of the major killer infectious diseases worldwide. It affects
nearly 10 million people each year – and 1.5 million sufferers die,
according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization. Yet
the disease is curable – and its spread can be prevented – if
it is caught early enough.
TB is caused by bacteria that most
often affect the lungs. It is spread from person to person through the air
when a victim coughs, sneezes or spits. Someone only needs to inhale a few
germs to become infected. The WHO says more than 95% of TB deaths occur in
low- and middle-income countries.
The traditional ‘gold
standard’ TB test used in developing countries involves taking a
sputum sample which is then cultured in a central laboratory. The process
is slow, as it can take weeks for the TB bacilli to grow, and often
inaccurate – sometimes picking up only 20% of cases. Such tests are
also unable to detect drug-resistant strains of TB.
NMR offers
the possibility of a faster, more sensitive test. But existing NMR
diagnostic equipment is large and expensive – making it inaccessible
to many of the populations at high risk.
In contrast, the new
sputum test being developed by Cambridge Consultants and WaveGuide is
affordable and no bigger than a shoebox – so it can be used in
mobile clinics, for example. It will give results in less than 30 minutes,
with 95% accuracy. And it paves the way for detecting drug-resistant TB.
This all means that appropriate treatment can be started promptly –
improving patients’ chances of recovery.
“We’re
bringing the reliability of expensive, high-tech laboratory equipment to
patients in the field, as well as in hospital, in the form of a compact
POC device that gives accurate results fast,” said Richard Hall,
head of global medical technology at Cambridge Consultants. “Our
expertise in fluidics, electronics, mechanical engineering and connected
health, together with our human factors skills, is enabling us to help
WaveGuide create a truly innovative diagnostic device for emerging
markets.”
At the heart of the miniature NMR machine is
WaveGuide’s patented chipset, together with very small magnets that
are a fraction of the size of those found in conventional laboratory
equipment. The user-friendly design means medical staff don’t need
extensive training to operate the device – they simply insert a
single-use cartridge containing the sputum sample, and the machine gives
the results in minutes.
“This groundbreaking development
is set to transform the detection and treatment of TB and other diseases
in both the developed world and developing countries,” said Nelson K
Stacks, president and CEO of WaveGuide Corporation. “We chose to
work with Cambridge Consultants because it combines extensive technology
expertise with a deep understanding of the market and user needs. By
providing a ‘one-stop shop’ for the whole product development,
it is enabling us to move fast to commercialise our unique
breakthrough.”
As well as TB diagnosis, the technology is
also being adapted for the detection and monitoring of conditions such as
ovarian and other cancers, where existing tests involve attaching
microscopic iron particles to circulating tumour cells and using magnets
to draw them out of a blood sample. It could also be used to identify
counterfeit drugs – and has potential industrial applications, such
as oil and gas detection and analysis.
Source:
Cambridge Consultants