UTI Test Receives $10.2 Million Award 

Sysmex Astrego AB announced today that it was awarded the Longitude Prize for antimicrobial resistance for developing a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test for urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Sysmex Astrego received the $10.2 million award to incentivize the development of transformative point-of-care tests that will improve antibiotic treatment decisions. 

Using a 400 microlitre urine sample on a smartphone-sized cartridge, the PA-100 AST System test can identify the presence of bacterial infections such as UTIs in just 15 minutes. 

The goal is to replace the 2-3 day lab test process.

"Winning the Longitude Prize is the first true and biggest recognition that what we have been doing all these years was for a very important global cause," Ozden Baltekin, PhD, Sysmex Astrego director of program management, said in a press release on June 12, 2024.

Sysmex Astrego launched the PA-100 AST System in Europe in 2023 and intends to accelerate global expansion efforts.

UTIs are the most common bacterial infection, and around 50-60% of women develop one in their lifetime.

As of June 13, 2024, a UTI vaccine is available in certain countries, and new therapies are conducting late-stage development.