If new research holds up, doctors may be able to get lab-style answers on pathogens before they've finished a coffee. A team at McGill University says they've built a device that can both identify bacteria and flag which antibiotics will work against them in just 36 minutes—versus the two to three days typical lab tests require, per Phys.org. The system, detailed in Nature Nanotechnology and dubbed QolorPhAST, is being pitched as a tool to slow antimicrobial resistance, in which bacteria evolve to withstand the drugs meant to kill them, reports the Innovation News Network.
"We are losing the race against antimicrobial resistance," said lead author and bioengineering professor Sara Mahshid, who notes more than a million people die annually from drug-resistant infections. The device uses nanoscale sensors that change color when live bacteria metabolize. Software then analyzes those rapid color shifts to determine both the species present and whether they're vulnerable to specific antibiotics—without waiting for bacteria to grow in culture.
In a blind test on 54 urine samples, QolorPhAST's results closely matched standard lab methods, but did so much faster. The compact, automated unit is described as low-cost and portable—no details on cost were provided—raising the possibility of broad use in clinics to guide treatment of urinary tract and sexually transmitted infections. The team is now working toward commercialization.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
