UK care home deploys first lab-free PCR test for UTI resistance genes in 60 minutes

Royal Hospital Chelsea in London became the first clinical site to use Genefluence's portable Lab-in-Cartridge PCR system, which identifies urinary tract infection pathogens and their antibiotic resistance genes in about an hour without a laboratory. Standard culture results previously took two to three days.

• The test identifies the pathogen and resistance genes in roughly 60 minutes at the bedside
• About 40% of UTI-causing bacteria in the UK are resistant to trimethoprim
• The platform was built by Genefluence, founded by Chris Toumazou, whose group created CovidNudge
• Royal Hospital Chelsea houses about 300 veterans and was an early CovidNudge site in 2020