MycoDart PCR

The Problem: More than 1.6M people in the U.S. alone are diagnosed with Sepsis each year. Sepsis is a condition in which the body has a severe inflammatory response to a bacterial or fungal infection. Mortality rates range from 30-35% and increase 8% for every hour that treatment is delayed. Candida is the most common and one of the most lethal fungal infections. Other fungal infections include Aspergillus and Mucor. Immunocompromised patients are most at risk for infection. This includes cancer patients, transplant patients and patients with central venous catheters.

The Need: Fast and accurate method to identify the specific organism causing the patients fungal infection. This is critical to allow physicians to administer the proper anti-fungal drug as rapidly as possible, before the infection progresses. The current standard of care uses blood cultures which are not only have low sensitivity but also take 2-5 days for results. This forces the physician to start the patient on an anti-fungal which may not be the right one for that species. It also can contribute to the growing problem with anti-fungal resistance.

The Solution: MycoDART, Inc. has patented DNA probes that can be used on most common hospital qPCR platforms. The patented MycoDART – PCR™ allows for the reliable determination of species in 4-6 hours. Candida species include C. albicans, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. glabrata and C. tropicalis. The patented Aspergillus probes are being developed into a diagnostic panel using the more sensitive MycoDART-PCR™ technology, as are the Mucor probes.