Rapidemic – A lysis buffer for a novel molecular point-of-care diagnostic device for sexually transmitted infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are some of the most prevalent endemic infections in Europe.

Current diagnostic techniques for STI’s have important shortcomings, as they rely on central diagnostic laboratories with extensive high-throughput facilities with expensive equipment and trained personnel. Due to this, the turnover of patient samples can take up to a week. In the meantime, patients are experiencing shame and pain.

This delay in diagnosis can also have more important consequences, such as continued spread of the infections, of the development of pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to infertility.

This is why Rapidemic develops an innovative molecular point-of-care diagnostic device for fast and accurate diagnosis of chlamydia and gonorroea.

With this test, patient samples no longer have to travel to a lab, but patients can immediately get tested at a sexual health clinic.

This single-visit testing provides an opportunity for immediate treatment administration and to drastically reduce the patients discomfort, therby decreasing the barrier to test. To detect a pathogen’s DNA in the Rapidemic test, the bacteria first have to release the DNA.

In this project, Rapidemic will be working on the research and development of a novel lysis buffer for gram negative bacteria, suitable for integration in a molecular point-of-care diagnostic device.