deepull unveils 1 hour, direct-from-blood multiplex PCR test for 95% of sepsis-causing pathogens at ESCMID 2024
UllCORE is designed to transform life-saving clinical decision making for sepsis patients
Barcelona, Spain – 25 April 2024 – deepull, a medical diagnostics company developing culture-free diagnostic solutions for rapid pathogen identification for sepsis and other acute infections, today announces the unveiling of its UllCORE diagnostic system, currently in development, with its first application in early sepsis detection.
UllCORE is a benchtop diagnostic system designed to deliver 50 reportable results in one hour covering 95% of sepsis-causing pathogens and resistance genes. The real-time multiplex PCR system extracts total microbial DNA from 8 mL of whole blood, circumventing the lengthy blood culture process. The assay includes a wide range of bacterial targets, fungi, and genetic determinants of antibiotic resistance. UllCORE’s speed and sensitivity will enable clinicians to make better decisions and reduce the risk of over- or under-treatment with antibiotics, in turn supporting the fight against antimicrobial resistance within hospitals. Beyond sepsis, deepull believes its system has the potential to be applicable to a wide range of acute infections.
Today’s unveiling is the result of years of research, enabled by funding from a range of international investors. The product will be debuted at this year’s ESCMID Global 2024 conference, taking place in Barcelona from 27-30 April. Over the coming months deepull is seeking to develop strong partnerships with hospitals and laboratories in anticipation of initiating clinical trials next year. These next steps will be driven forward by the expert deepull team, recently bolstered with the appointments of Dr Kimberle Chapin as Chief Medical Officer and Wade Stevenson as Chief Marketing and Sales Officer.
The challenge to identify and treat sepsis is well documented. Sepsis is a contributing factor to 1 in 3 hospital deaths in the US, and septic shock is associated with a mortality rate of 30-40% globally. Early diagnosis is a challenge as the symptoms are non-specific and easy to miss. Current sepsis testing is dominated by complex blood culture tests which can take days to deliver results. This method is now over 40 years old and is limited to ‘viable’ organisms, missing a wide range of additional microbial analytes that can be found in blood.
Jordi Carrera, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of deepull, commented: “Introducing the UllCORE platform and its unique capabilities to the market is a significant milestone for deepull. We are encouraged by early results based on prospectively obtained specimens from septic patients and look forward to initiating clinical trials next year, as well as refining the platform ahead of commercial launch. We believe our UllCORE system could transform the standard of care for sepsis diagnosis, for the benefit of patients globally.”
Dr Kimberle Chapin, newly appointed Chief Medical Officer, added: “My experience in the diagnosis of infectious diseases has made it clear to me that more needs to be done to support clinical decision making in the hospital setting. UllCORE has been designed with hospital laboratories in mind, and I look forward to sharing more about its capabilities at ESCMID.”
To connect with the deepull team at ESCMID, please email contact@deepull.com.
-Ends-
Notes to editors
About deepull
deepull is a medical diagnostics company developing culture-free diagnostic solutions for sepsis and acute infections. Founded in 2020 in Barcelona by the founders of STAT-Dx (sold to QIAGEN in 2018), deepull has assembled a team of world-class experts to create rapid and accessible diagnostic solutions. Visit www.deepull.com for more and follow us on LinkedIn.
deepull is developing a 1 hour, direct-from-blood PCR test targeting 95% of sepsis-causing pathogens. The test will extract total microbial DNA from 8 mL of whole blood and include 50 reportable results. The test runs on the deepull UllCORE instrument; a benchtop system with sample-to-result automation being designed to meet the needs of any hospital clinical laboratory.
For more information, please contact:
deepull
Agustina Boullaude
Email: aboullaude@deepull.com
ICR Consilium
Amber Fennell / Lucy Featherstone
Email: deepull@consilium-comms.com
