476 0 Kommentare HKBU Scholars Invent World-First Multidimensional System for Rapid Antibiotic Resistance Testing and Analysis - Seite 2

As a result, the current treatment process is not only time-consuming and inefficient, but can also stimulate antimicrobial resistance due to misuse or overuse of antibiotics. Moreover, doctors usually prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics to speed-up treatment times and target a wide-range of different bacteria. This broad-spectrum approach can also kill harmless bacteria, accelerating antibiotic resistance in pathogens and affecting the long-term health of patients.

Dr Ren said: "Our new method can analyse bacterial morphology and quantity under the microscope. It takes only four hours to obtain accurate AST data, and with this new method the treatment process can be faster and more accurate. Doctors will first evaluate the patient and then analyse a small amount of their body fluid using the new system. Based on the results, the antibiotic (or a combination thereof) with the lowest susceptibility, the best efficacy, and the most appropriate dosage will be selected for the patient. Hence, we can achieve better therapeutic performance and slow down the process of antibiotic resistance."

Dr Ren explained that as the new system employs microfluidic technology, compared with the existing AST methods, its accuracy is not only higher, but it also requires much smaller samples and takes significantly less time to carry out tests. In addition, the synergistic effects of multiple drugs and the dynamic changes of different substances in the human body can also be simulated. The ability to automate the test can reduce possible errors from human manipulation and observation too.

Quoting a World Health Organization (WHO) report, Dr Ren said that if humans do not take timely countermeasures, antimicrobial resistance will gradually accelerate. The WHO estimates that around 300 million people will die due to drug-resistant microbes in 2050, leading to serious economic losses around the world.

Dr Ren said that the development of new antibiotics takes an average of 10 to 20 years, in addition to the large amount of money required. Existing antibiotics have also begun to weaken or even fail to kill some bacteria. This new method can slow down the process of antimicrobial resistance and help to prevent the formation of "superbugs".

At the same time, Dr Ren expects that the new system could be used to collect information about antimicrobial resistance, which would facilitate big data analysis and support the development of new antibiotics.

The research findings have been published in the international academic journals Lab on a Chip, ChemPlusChem, and Trends in Biotechnology.