Magnetic Pathogen Capture for Rapid Identification and Susceptibility Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current antibiotic susceptibility testing methods are lengthy due to the need for blood and pure cultures, which are inhibited by blood components and residual antibiotics, and require pathogen growth to reach saturation, making it difficult to shorten the time without compromising accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A method that isolates and concentrates pathogens using magnetic capture beads coated with specific molecules, allowing for real-time monitoring and culture optimization, eliminating the need for blood culture and enabling rapid pathogen identification and susceptibility testing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If blood culture and pure culture processes are used for pathogen isolation, then pathogen concentration reaches saturation level (10^8 CFU/ml), but testing time extends to at least two days
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes blood components and residual antibiotics from the patient sample using magnetic capture beads coated with specific molecules. This extraction eliminates the inhibitory factors that normally prevent pathogen growth in whole blood, allowing direct culture without the traditional blood culture step while still achieving sufficient pathogen concentration for testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary purification and concentration of pathogens from whole blood using magnetic capture beads before culture. By removing inhibitory substances in advance and concentrating the pathogen population, the system enables direct culture of isolated pathogens without requiring the extended blood culture period traditionally needed to overcome blood component interference.
2Productivity
If blood components and residual antibiotics are present in the sample, then direct testing can be performed, but pathogen growth is inhibited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses magnetic capture beads coated with specific molecules that selectively bind to and remove blood components and residual antibiotics. By converting the harmful inhibitory substances into removable targets, the system eliminates the conflict between using whole blood for direct testing and maintaining pathogen growth, allowing both rapid testing and reliable pathogen cultivation.
3Quantity of substance
If pathogen concentration is increased from 10 CFU/ml to 10^8 CFU/ml through division, then sufficient pathogen is available for testing, but culture time increases due to different division cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses magnetic capture beads to concentrate multiple pathogen particles from the original sample into a small volume. This copying/concentration approach allows the system to achieve sufficient pathogen concentration for testing without requiring extended culture periods for low-initial-concentration samples, as the magnetic concentration step effectively multiplies the local pathogen density immediately.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and accurate antibiotic susceptibility testing by isolating and culturing pathogens under optimal conditions, reducing testing time and minimizing interference from blood components, thus facilitating timely antibiotic administration.
Implementation Method 1
isolates and concentrates pathogens using magnetic capture beads coated with specific molecules
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a rapid antibiotic susceptibility test and an identification method capable of rapidly providing information on antibiotics suitable for microorganisms by performing an antibiotic susceptibility test and an identification test in a single process. The present invention provides a rapid antibiotic susceptibility test and an identification method comprising the steps of: (a) transferring a sample taken from a patient to a first reaction space in which a sample separation means is present; (b) separating and concentrating the pathogen in the sample from the patient's sample by capturing them with the separation means within the first reaction space; and (c) performing the identification of the pathogen or an antibiotic susceptibility test.