A discovery by microbiologists from the UMCG makes an infection with staphylococcus aureus bacteria visible much more quickly. Start-up Sabiad from Heerenveen is trying to bring the invention to the market.
It is a bacterium that is very widespread: staphylococcus aureus. “One in three people carries it with them,” says Professor Jan Maarten van Dijl, medical microbiologist at the UMCG in Groningen. “It’s in the nose and on the skin. You also often see it in people with eczema. But in general, this bacteria is not a problem for most people.”
Unless the bacteria manages to enter the body. “Then he shows his bad side.” If this happens superficially, for example on a wound, then this mainly manifests itself as an infection of the skin. If it penetrates deeper, the risks are greater, including the risk of blood poisoning, bone infection or an inflamed heart valve.
Vulnerable during surgery
People who undergo surgery are vulnerable to a wound infection with this bacteria. This does not lead to serious complaints for everyone, says Van Dijl. “For some people, the body solves it itself. But others really need antibiotics.”
It can therefore be important in the hospital to quickly find out whether someone is carrying the bacteria. This is especially true after operations in which people receive a new hip or knee or another implant is inserted. The germ often attaches itself to this foreign material. “This has major consequences for the patient, because it can lead to illness or rejection of the implant. And a surgeon will then have to clean or remove the prosthesis. All very stressful. You are without a knee for so long.”
New way to make bacteria visible
It is therefore worthwhile to know at an early stage whether someone carries the bacteria. This is called ‘imaging’ in jargon and this is still done with a culture. Van Dijl’s research focuses on an alternative. He found this in the antibodies that the body produces to fight the germ. From this he isolated a small piece, an antibody: 1D9. You can adjust this part so that it becomes visible on a PET scan, making it clear where exactly the infection is located.
It is a promising discovery for which the UMCG has the patent. His team has also been able to demonstrate that it works through tests on mice. Now it just needs to be able to be used in hospitals.
Start-ups around medical innovation
Before that, the researcher ended up in Heerenveen with Saskia van den Dool and Ton van den Hoven. This couple tries to build companies around medical innovations by finding financing and expertise. They currently have four start-ups in the air, of which Sabiad, based on Van Dijl’s invention, is the most recent. And perhaps also the one closest to them. “I once lay down for three months due to a bacterial infection,” says Van den Hoven. “That made me want to do something with it. Now that cancer is becoming increasingly treatable, bacterial infections appear to become the number one cause of death again in the future.”
Together with Van Dijl, they further develop the application of his discovery. The first step is to conduct a clinical study on ten patients, led by Groningen orthopedic professor Paul Jutte. “We also want to use our method to see whether we can detect the bacteria again in a number of patients in whom the bacteria have already been found in the traditional way.” If that study is successful, a study will probably follow with more patients within the Northern Netherlands. Infection network, in which various hospitals in the region work together.
The aim is to then get it onto the market. “The first step is to use it when there are symptoms,” says Van den Dool. “You see it as a red swelling, but that is a common symptom after surgery. In 80 percent of cases it is not caused by the bacteria, but by a reaction of the patient’s body. As a result, an infection is sometimes only discovered late. While if you catch it early you can treat it in a much more targeted manner. At a later stage, detection should be done before or during the operation.
Search for financing
However, a lot still needs to be done before the discovery is actually used in hospitals. “We are now working on the production of the antibody and see whether it is safe for use,” says Van den Dool. “And we have to test it extensively,” Van den Hoven adds. “Is it pure, does it not cause other contamination, is there no residue from production? That kind of thing.”
“You have to go through a gate again and again,” he continues. “Just until you can completely demonstrate that the risk of use is negligible.” Getting there requires a lot of money. “We are actually continuously looking for financing,” says Van den Hoven. “For us it is almost a full-time job.” At the beginning of this year, Sabiad secured an investment from Pharma Connect Capital, which, among other things, can be used to pay for the first clinical study.
This means that an important hurdle has been overcome. But that does not mean that the invention will soon be available in hospitals. Van den Hoven: “That will really take another three to five years.”
2024-02-15 14:40:00
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