Astek Diagnostics marks another R&D milestone through a strategic partnership with MedStar Health
January 9, 2024
Astek Diagnostics (“Astek”) announced today a strategic partnership with the MedStar Health Research Institute focused on advancing innovation around the identification of UTI infections and detection of antibiotic sensitivities in 1 hour through its JidduTM Analyzer. MedStar Health Research Institute is the research arm of MedStar Health, the largest healthcare provider in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, and hosts more than one thousand active studies each year across more than 40 different care sites, including MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital (MNRH).
The partnership includes an Accelerated Pilot Study focused on testing, validating and further improving the technology behind Astek's Jiddu Analyzer. The research commenced in July 2023 and its first phase was completed in November 2023, reaching testing accuracy of 90.43%. In December 2023, Astek initiated the second phase of the study, which is scheduled to be completed in February 2024. Its focus is on preparing the underlying technology to be transitioned from a breadboard prototype to an alpha prototype by April 2024. Astek's efforts in the space aim to significantly improve diagnostic speed and accuracy, thereby reducing patient complications and pain, as well as lowering healthcare costs.
This important work with MedStar Health comes on the back of an Accelerated Pilot Study which Astek competed with the University of Maryland, Baltimore between June 2022 and May 2023, where testing accuracy of 95.60% was reached. It was those initial results that caught the attention of Suzanne Groah, MD who serves as the director of the SCI Rehabilitation and Recovery Program & director of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Research at MNRH. She has championed Astek's work within the MedStar network and currently leads the collaboration between the two organizations. “I am excited about this collaboration as Astek's technologic approach to the diagnosis of UTI takes into account our contemporary understanding of the urobiome in health and disease and has the potential to transform how we conceptualize, diagnose, and treat this common infection,” said Dr. Groah.
As part of the Accelerated Pilot Study, Astek tests study participant samples with the goal of finalizing the testing protocol and further validating and improving its technology. These subject samples are collected following blinded clinical study protocols, whereupon Astek conducts the testing and subsequently sends the samples to off-site CLIA Laboratories for culture and sensitivity (C&S) testing—the gold standard in UTI testing. The C&S results are then compared to the results provided by the Jiddu Analyzer.
The successful collaboration and envisioned synergies between MedStar Health and Astek prompted an amended agreement extending the partnership well into 2024. Additionally, MedStar Health has generously offered dedicated lab space, free of charge, in Hyattsville, MD, enabling Astek to conduct Jiddu Analyzer testing on-site. This pivotal step allows Astek to focus on refining its sample handling protocol and advancing technological enhancements. Furthermore, this collaboration sets the stage for Astek's forthcoming clinical studies within MedStar Health's healthcare facilities.
About Astek Diagnostics:
Astek is a precision diagnostics company which is developing the Jiddu Analyzer to confirm bacterial infections and assess antibiotic sensitivity across multiple sample types: urine, CSF, effluent, and blood. Astek has prioritized going to market in 2025 with a urine-based test which identifies a UTI infection and detects antibiotic sensitivity in 1 hour. The company is part of the Y Combinator (S21) and has received support from Harvard University, NSF, FDA, BARDA, NIH and numerous VC funds and angel investors. For more information, please visit Astek Diagnostics.
About MedStar Health:
MedStar Health combines the best aspects of academic medicine, research, and innovation with a complete spectrum of clinical services to advance patient care. Our 30,000 associates and 4,700 affiliated physicians are committed to living this promise through our core SPIRIT values—Service, Patient first, Integrity, Respect, Innovation, and Teamwork—across our more than 300 locations including 10 hospitals, ambulatory, and urgent care centers. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University, MedStar Health is training future physician leaders to care for the whole person and is advancing care through the MedStar Health Research Institute. From our telemedicine and urgent care services to the region's largest home health agency, we're committed to providing high-quality health care that's also easy and convenient for our patients. At MedStar Health—It's how we treat people. Learn more at MedStarHealth.org.
