OpGen Offers New Data Showing Co.'s QuickFISH Blood Culture Pathogen ID Tests Rapid, Cost-Effective

OpGen, Inc. OPGN, a precision medicine company using molecular diagnostics and bioinformatics to combat infectious disease, today announced that new study data on its QuickFISH® tests were presented at the 26th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) being held from April 9th to 12th in Amsterdam. The studies were conducted at the NHS Royal Free Trust Hospital in London and were presented in two posters on Saturday, April 9th. Abstract #2455. Rapid differentiation of Staphylococcus aureus from coagulase-negative staphylococci directly from positive blood cultures: prospective comparison of four rapid methods; Rebecca Gorton, et al. Abstract #6601. The potential utility of QuickFISH on positive blood cultures to inform antimicrobial stewardship decisions; Tehmina Bharucha, et al. In the first poster, investigators concluded that QuickFISH rapidly differentiated Staphylococcus aureus from coagulase-negative staphylococci directly from blood cultures. It was the fastest and most cost-effective nucleic acid method evaluated with a time-to-result of 20 minutes, and had a higher diagnostic concordance to routine methods than MALDI-TOF. Other methods evaluated included Cepheid GeneXpert® and a tube coagulase test. In the second poster, the investigators reported that communicating Gram stain and QuickFISH results together with clinical context (including local resistance patterns) can help inform physicians in early patient management decisions. They concluded that the development of a treatment algorithm based on the results may enhance the clinical benefits of QuickFISH. Also at the conference, OpGen previewed the QuickFISH Digital Imager, which will automate the QuickFISH procedure and digitize the results. The bench-top instrument is currently in development and is being designed to eliminate the requirement of a fluorescence microscope and darkroom. Development plans include the integration of the Digital Imager with Acuitas Lighthouse™, its bioinformatics platform that will allow rapid analysis of pathogen identity in the context of an antibiotic resistance database, providing decision support for patient management. "We are encouraged by the impact we are making with premier healthcare institutions such as the NHS Royal Free Trust Hospital with our current QuickFISH products, and are equally excited about our future and the progress we are making with our development programs," commented Kevin Krenitsky, M.D., OpGen's president. "We are working to transform the way infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance are managed through the use of molecular and digital technologies. Our aim is to apply the principles of precision medicine to improve patient outcomes, reduce hospital costs and preserve the supply of effective antibiotics."