FASTINOV

A consortium led by FASTInov, a spin-off of the University of Porto’s Faculty of Medicine, has received a grant from the European Commission, valued at 2.6 million euros. The goal is to get a clinical diagnostics kit that will disrupt the way doctors prescribe antibiotics, to the market. This new kit, developed by researchers from FMUP (Faculty of Medicine), with the support from U.Porto Innovation, was patented and licensed by the University to FASTInov. The kit allows for a blood analysis, in just 60 minutes, to determine the bacteria’s susceptibility to antibiotics, which can increase the quickness and effectiveness of treatment prescribed to patients ill with bacterial infections.

Existing testes are not capable of delivering results before the 48-hour mark. Sometimes, as it is the case with seriously ill patients, it is not feasible to wait such a long time and doctors medicate based on epidemiological data, or to put it simply, “prescribe the most effective drug for the most prevalent bacteria types” as explained by Cidália Pina Vaz, FASTInov’s CEO. Sofia Oliveira, FASTInov’s CTO also reminds us that “this procedure carries risks to the patient, increasing hospitalization time and expenses, while also contributing to the increasing phenomena of antibiotic resistance”. Cidália Pina Vaz also added, “in case of antibiotic resistance, the patient can face further complications or even death”.