Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause serious complications for cystic fibrosis patients
Biotechnology company Owlstone Medical plans to develop a breath-based test suitable for early detection of new Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (PA) and monitoring of chronic infection in cystic fibrosis patients.
“Owlstone’s experience in the breath-based detection of infectious disease places Owlstone in an excellent position to help improve outcomes for CF patients infected with Pseudomonas Aeruginosa,” said Owlstone cofounder and CEO Billy Boyle.
PA infections, which can affect the skin, blood, lungs and GI tract, are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, and are potentially deadly for those with compromised immune systems.
An estimated 25% of cystic fibrosis patients are affected by PA. As PA is difficult to eliminate once established in the lungs, early detection and aggressive treatment is critical in those with cystic fibrosis.
Traditionally, sputum tests analysing bacterial presence after coughing into a sterile container can measure the presence of PA. However, beneficial therapies can reduce airway mucus, providing inaccurate results. Owlstone’s breath-based test aims to achieve diagnostic accuracy comparable at least to sputum culture tests, if not beyond it.
The company’s background in volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis will help the test to distinguish PA from other common respiratory bacterial pathogens found in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.
“Data from the study will also be entered into Owlstone’s Breath VOC Atlas, where it will continue to be used in clinical studies and analyses to support further biomarker and test development across a wide range of disease areas,” said Boyle.
Initial work will focus on chronic PA to ensure VOCs on breath can identify the infection and be used for long-term monitoring. Once scientific proof-of-principle is established, additional work will commence to detect new PA infections.
The development of a PA breath test for patients with Cystic Fibrosis is possible due to a 2.3 Million USD investment from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Owlstone is the developer of the Respiratory Diseases Research Use Only (RUO) Panel, a breath biomarker panel supporting research to distinguish between different types of chronic inflammatory airway diseases.
