Manufacturing agreement made for kits to test biofilm infections

Edmonton, AB & Cleveland, OH – Canadian biofilm developer Innovotech and diagnostic system maker TREK Diagnostic Systems say that the latter will manufacture key components of Innovotech’s novel biofilm susceptibility test at TREK’s Cleveland facility. Innovotech is targeting its initial product launch of the bioFILM PA kit to the Canadian infectious-disease market.

Biofilms are estimated to cause more than 80% of all human infections and are inherently resistant to antibiotics. Studies show that bacteria in a biofilm may have a greater than 100-fold increase in resistance to antibiotics when compared to the same bacteria in a planktonic (free-floating) state. Biofilms are particularly dangerous for patients with chronic lung infections, such as cystic fibrosis lung disease, and put patients with catheters, stents, and other medical devices at risk of serious infection. They are also implicated in most chronic hospital-borne infections.

Selecting the right drug at a dosage sufficient enough to completely kill the bacteria is key to preventing resistance. Often doctors must prescribe a cocktail of antibiotics to fight biofilm infections effectively, but there are currently no dependable susceptibility tests to assist doctors in selecting appropriate treatments. Innovotech’s manual kit bioFILM PA will enable clinicians to test biofilm samples against a combination of existing antibiotics. Early results indicate that bioFILM PA will provide better treatment outcomes for patients, improved infection-control for hospitals, and substantial cost saving to health systems.