104984An integrated microfluidic – single cell Raman technology for rapid diagnosis of pathogens and their antibiotic resistanceClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKThe global spread of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to human health. A rapid diagnosis of AMR within 1-3 hours to infectious disease will not only reduce uncertainty in diagnosis, saving millions of lives (e.g. those lost through sepsis), but also enable an effective help to clinical doctors making the best use of antibiotics: preserving the usefulness of existing antibiotics for longer and reducing the urgency of discovering new ones. This project will develop such a diagnostic tool by integration of advances in single-cell Raman spectroscopy, microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip and world-leading clinical expertise. Our new methodology is based on the detection of the general metabolic activity of cells at the single cell level. It overcomes inherent limitations in the existing growth-based and DNA-based technologies, providing both speed and phenotype information needed for data-informed prescription. We anticipate that the implementation of this new diagnostic tool in healthcare will transform current approaches based on “empirical” rules, bringing significant benefits to patients and public health.