Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Shamoon College of Engineering and Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering have developed an innovative method for the rapid determination of the identity and antibiotic sensitivity of bacterial pathogens in urinary tract infections (UTI) in patients, BGN Technologies – the university' technology transfer company – announced Tuesday.

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The novel method enables detection of bacterial pathogens directly from urine samples in 30-40 minutes. The technology combines measurements of the infrared spectrum of the infecting bacteria with machine learning algorithms, to enable the simultaneous determination of both bacterial type at the species level and bacterial sensitivity to antibiotics.

The method has been tested on over 1,000 urine samples and was able to discriminate between bacterial species with approximately 97% accuracy and determine bacterial susceptibility to various antibiotics with approximately 85% accuracy.

If left untreated or treated with ineffective antibiotics, UTIs can lead to complications such as permanent kidney damage and blood contamination. UTIs affect over 150 million people annually around the globe and is the most common outpatient infection in the US. In hospitals, UTIs account for 40% of all hospital-acquired infections

The inventors of the new method include Professors Mahmoud Huleihel and Shraga Segal, both from the Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Science at BGU; Prof. Ahmad Salman from Shamoon College of Engineering and Dr Itshak Lapidot from Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering. BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of BGU, has filed for patent protection and is now seeking a strategic partner for the further development and commercialization of this promising technology.

Huleihel, said, "The new technology offers a novel clinical decision-support tool for early and precise antibiotic recommendations, that will result in effective treatment. More broadly, our invention is timely, given the global emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance."

"This method for the identification of bacterial pathogens in UTI patients is an important and long-awaited solution for the management of UTI," said BGN Technologies CEO Josh Peleg.

"Currently, identification of the bacterial pathogen and its antibiotics sensitivity is labor intensive and can take up to three days, leading to treatment delays and potential complications. This novel solution can supply medical staff with results within 1 hour after collecting a urine sample, with very high accuracy and minimal effort. We are confident that this method has the potential to become a mainstay in hospitals and outpatient clinics alike," Peleg added.

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Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer has partnered with Raanana-based startup Inspira Technologies to test Inspira's Augmented Respiration Technology as a treatment for patients in critical condition with COVID-19, Inspira announced Wednesday.

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Inspira Technologies describes its ART solution as the first technology in the world to directly oxygenate blood. Inspira explains that ART fills a gap in respiratory treatment where supplemental respiratory therapies such as high-pressure masks are insufficient and the risks from mechanical ventilation – such as medically-induced comas, intubation, and lung atrophy – are unjustified.

Director of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit at Sheba Dr. Alexander Kogan said that the medical center was "very excited to test this breakthrough technology for respiratory distress."

According to Kogan, "With the ART system, hopefully, patients will remain fully conscious during their treatment. We will be able to avoid the use of mechanical ventilation until it's absolutely necessary and spare many patients from the risks of a medically-induced coma. Moreover, we anticipate further development of our novel renal replacement therapy technology for these critically ill patients with the help of Inspira."

Inspira co-founder and CEO Dagi Ben-Noon said, "Collaborating with the Sheba Medical Center is a great opportunity to test the ART system in a real-world environment and demonstrate its ease of use for medical staff and effectiveness for treating patients."

Dr. Sylvie Luria, manager of Sheba's technology transfer company, was responsible for facilitating the trial.

"When we came across Inspira's unique technology, we immediately saw its potential to transform the way we treat patients with respiratory issues," Luria said.

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