A rapid cost-effective and highly sensitive point of care platform for detection of Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea

The consortium will develop a rapid, affordable, sensitive platform for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae from urine samples. The platform will be fully integrable with LIMS (laboratory information management system). This will enable rapid point of care (POC) testing within the hospital and genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic environments. Existing rapid tests are available however these lack the sensitivity/specificity criteria achieved by laboratory based tests. The developed platform will combine the speed of the current rapid tests with the sensitivity /specificity criteria of molecular methods. The platform will provide a novel, single step, sample management system. The analysis will be based upon amplification of targeted genetic sequences and will combine both existing and novel technologies. This will provide a nucleic acid based amplification platform capable of use within a non-laboratory environment for this application and enhancing established performance criteria. The portable, battery driven analyser will incorporate high intensity/ sensitivity imaging in combination with highly efficient data interpretation. The interfaced platform will allow direct data transfer to hospital/clinic LIMS systems.