RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL

• TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY

  UEI THL6A6JLE1S7

  $549.7K

  Subcontractor to this prime · 1 sub-award · latest Dec 18, 2024

  • Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
  • “PNEUMONIA IS A COMMON CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS THAT OFTEN LACKS A MICROBIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS BECAUSE NO PATHOGEN IS IDENTIFIED. WITHOUT A MICROBIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS, ANTIBIOTICS TARGETING A BROAD RANGE OF PATHOGENS ARE USED, INCREASING THE RISKS FOR RESISTANCE ALONG WITH POOR OUTCOMES IF INAPPROPRIATE ANTIBIOTICS ARE CHOSEN. THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM PROPOSES TO DIAGNOSE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT BACTERIAL INFECTIONS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IN FOUR HOURS, MUCH FASTER THAN CURRENT CULTURE TECHNIQUES. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP RAPID DIAGNOSTIC TESTS THAT WILL BE INDICATED IN ALL PATIENTS WITH A CLINICAL SUSPICION FOR PNEUMONIA. THE SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVE WILL FOCUS ON PNEUMONIAS CAUSED BY STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS, PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA, AND HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE, WITH THE GOAL OF HAVING RESULTS AVAILABLE IN 4 HOURS. THE STRATEGY USED IN THIS DIAGNOSTIC TEST DISTINGUISHES IT FROM COMPETITORS AND ALTERNATIVES. THIS DIAGNOSTIC IS BASED ON DETECTING RNA SEQUENCE(S) SPECIFIC FOR THE PATHOGEN CAUSING PNEUMONIA IN A HUMAN PATIENT. TESTING WILL BE DONE ON BLOOD DRAWN DIRECTLY FROM THE PATIENT, MAKING IT LESS INVASIVE THAN OTHER METHODS THAT OBTAIN SAMPLES FROM THE AIRWAYS, SUCH AS BRONCHOSCOPY OR DEEP SUCTIONING. THIS TEST WILL NOT REQUIRE THE SPECIMEN TO BE CULTURED, ALLOWING FOR FASTER RESULTS THAN TRADITIONAL MICROBIOLOGICAL METHODS. THE RNA TARGETED BY THE TEST IS IDENTIFIED VIA RNA SEQUENCING OF BLOOD FROM PATIENTS WITH THE INFECTION. RNA SEQUENCING DATA SHOWS RNA SPECIFIC TO THE PATHOGEN OF INTEREST (S. AUREUS., P. AERUGINOSA, AND H. INFLUENZAE) THAT IS ALSO SPECIFIC FOR AN ACTIVE INFECTION. TARGETING RNA ALSO ENSURES THAT THE INFECTION IS CURRENT SINCE RNA IS LESS STABLE THAN DNA, LASTING MINUTES TO HOURS WHEN FROM A BACTERIUM. THE METHOD, HOWEVER, IMMEDIATELY STABILIZES THE RNA FOR TESTING. RNA ALSO IDENTIFIES BACTERIA THAT ARE ACTIVELY MAKING RESISTANCE PROTEINS, RATHER THAN BACTERIA WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR RESISTANCE BASED ONLY ON”

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Agencies generally may not award to excluded parties, and primes may not subcontract with them above the threshold in FAR 52.209-6 (except COTS items) without a compelling reason reported to the contracting officer (FAR 9.405, 9.405-2). Some exclusion types apply only to specific programs: read the record on SAM.gov.