Cellex, Inc., Part of the Avioq Family of Companies, Receives NIH Grant to Develop Rapid Test for Detection of Carbapenemase Producing Organisms (CPOs)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Avioq, Inc. announced today that Cellex,
Inc. has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for
developing a rapid test named qCPO for detection of carbapenemase
producing organisms (CPO). The grant was jointly awarded to Cellex and
Johns Hopkins Medical Institution. The qCPO test uses homogeneous
biochemiluminescence assay (HBA) technology developed by Cellex.
“If successfully developed, the test would allow detection of a CPO
within 15 minutes using a single culture colony, providing an important
tool in fighting CPOs,” said Dr. Chamroen Chetty, CEO of Avioq. Current
methods suffer various drawbacks including limited number of assayed
carbapenemase targets for molecular assays and long turn-around time for
phenotyping assays. qCPO is unique in that it detects enzyme activity.
About Carbapenemase Producing Organisms (CPOs)
Carbapenems are antibiotics of last-resort. These agents are crucial for
preventing and treating life-threatening bacterial infections.
Carbapenemase enzymes, which degrade carbapenems thereby conferring
carbapenem resistance, are harbored on transmissible mobile genetic
elements called plasmids that are easily spread from species to species
and even among different genera of Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative
bacteria harboring carbapenemase enzymes, in particular Klebsiella
pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPC), have been identified in nearly all
States in the U.S. Even more concerning is the increasing reports of the
appearance of non-endemic carbapenemase variants in the U.S. such as New
Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Gram-negative bacilli. Early
detection of CPOs in the health care-setting is required as patients
with unrecognized colonization with a CPO serve as a reservoir for
transmission during health-care associated outbreaks. Therapeutic
options for infections caused by a CPO are limited and infections with a
CPO have been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. For
more information, please refer to CDC guidance https://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/cre/cre-guidance-508.pdf.
About Avioq
Avioq, Inc., located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is a
medical device company established to develop and market high-quality
immunodiagnostic products. Avioq also provides contract development and
manufacturing services in their FDA licensed, ISO 13485 facilities. For
more information visit www.avioq.com.