Meet PathCrisp—The Future of Antibiotic Resistance Detection using CRISPR
Every year, millions of people across the world fall victim to infections that no antibiotic can cure. Right now, deep inside hospitals, clinics, and even within our bodies, a silent war is raging. A war that we are losing against those smallest creatures.
Antibiotic-resistant microbes, often called superbugs, are evolving at an alarming rate. They have found ways to outsmart our most potent medicines, rendering them useless. Hence, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered a health crisis worldwide.
AMR is the condition wherein the pathogens gain resistance over the period for which they used to be susceptible before. Once the microbes resist the drugs, antibiotics become useless and will not be adequate for usage.
Most resistance strains are known to emerge in hospitals. Recently, a Bengaluru-based Biotech startup named CrisprBits launched a platform called PathCrisp, a novel CRISPR-based molecular diagnostic platform for early detection of antibiotic resistance in hospital-acquired infections.
This revolutionary diagnostic tool could change the landscape of AMR diagnosis, allowing fast, reliable, and scalable detection of carbapenem resistance of the most lethal manifestations of antimicrobial resistance in hospitals.
This revolutionary diagnostic tool is a promising platform for fighting against AMR and providing rapid and accurate detection patterns. One of the deadliest forms of AMR is found to be carbapenem resistance, which is mainly found in hospitals.
AMR: A Silent Global Killer That’s Getting Worse Every Day!
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a ticking time bomb, causing havoc and reversing decades of medical progress. According to a recent study published in The Lancet, AMR contributed to nearly 4.7 million deaths globally in 2021, with over 1.27 million deaths directly caused by resistant infections.
India at the Epicenter of the AMR Crisis!
- In the year 2019, India reported over a million AMR death cases, which is a colossal raising concern.
- A vast patient population is observed to obtain infections from ICU settings. Numerous AMR strains are known to develop in such environments. These Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are becoming more challenging to treat as they are resistant to multiple antibiotics.
- Hence, the issue is considered a primary concern and needs immediate attention. Only with the development of platforms for the early detection of resistance markers can this issue be effectively resolved.
The Deadly Threat: Carbapenem Resistance & the Rise of ‘Superbugs’!
Carbapenems are considered to be the most effective and effective drugs against these multidrug-resistant bacteria. Unfortunately, this last line of defense is also facing a serious threat recently. One of the primary reasons for this is an enzyme named New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase (NDM).
They are known to break the carbapenems and other beta-lactam antibiotics. They are also famous for ensuring that even last-resort antibiotics are ineffective against pathogens. It also spreads quickly in hospital settings and will lead to high mortality rates.
PathCrisp: The Next-Gen Solution to AMR Detection!
CrisprBits’ groundbreaking CRISPR-based platform, PathCrisp, is engineered to detect antibiotic resistance markers with unmatched precision. In a recent peer-reviewed study published in Nature Scientific Reports, PathCrisp showcased its remarkable ability to identify carbapenem resistance in clinical bacterial samples.
Key Findings of the Study:
- PathCrisp was evaluated on 49 clinical bacterial samples. Its performance showed a detection accuracy of 100% for NDM-mediated resistance.
- The result was concordant with PCR-Sanger sequencing, a contemporary gold standard for genetic analysis.
- The study was conducted in collaboration with Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Puttaparthi, and Ashoka University, NCR Region.
How PathCrisp Works:
The platform uses CRISPR-based molecular diagnostics to probe for bacterial DNA for NDM resistance genes. This procedure is quicker and naturally easier, which provides access to results than older techniques. The platform is less dependent on costly and time-consuming sequencing-related techniques.
These next-gen diagnostics can enhance hospital infection control with Early intervention before any life-threatening infection. Proactive antibiotic stewardship guides treatment decisions and also helps reduce the transmission of drug-resistant bacteria inside hospitals.
A Global Solution to a Global Problem!
With PathCrisp, India is not just tackling its own AMR crisis, but it is also leading the charge in the global fight against superbugs!
With PathCrisp, India is pushing the frontiers of CRISPR technology to combat one of the biggest health threats of our time. This breakthrough could save millions of lives, making India a pioneer in AMR diagnostics and infectious disease control.
