Accessible Diagnostic Distinguishes Bacterial and Viral Infections through Host Immune Response

MeMed BV to be Added to Beckman Coulter’s Access Family of Immunoassay Analysers

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics and MeMed have joined forces to collaboratively develop and market the well-established MeMed BV® test. This host immune response diagnostic is capable of differentiating between bacterial and viral infections, and will be available for use on the Access Family of Immunoassay Analysers.

The similarity in symptoms between bacterial and viral infections can often pose a challenge for physicians when deciding whether to prescribe antibiotics, leading to both overuse and underuse of antibiotics. Studies have shown that up to 20% of bacterial infection cases are under-treated, while overuse of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, which is among the top 10 global public health threats, according to the World Health Organization. Antibiotic-resistant infections are responsible for over 700,000 deaths worldwide, with projections indicating that the number could rise to 10 million by 2050. Given the near standstill in the development of new antibiotics, it is critical to prioritise increased antibiotic stewardship.

The MeMed BV diagnostic test was created to help manage patients with acute infections across various clinical settings, including Emergency Departments. By leveraging machine learning, the MeMed BV test measures three crucial host-immune proteins (TRAIL, IP-10, and CRP) and generates a score that indicates the probability of a bacterial or viral infection. MeMed has validated this test’s performance on its compact immunoassay platform (MeMed Key®) in large-scale, blinded studies conducted by renowned institutions, as well as in real-world applications involving over 20,000 patients. MeMed BV has received regulatory clearance from multiple organisations, including the US FDA, CE-Marking, and approval from the Israeli Ministry of Health.

Under the terms of the agreement, Beckman Coulter has obtained the rights to develop and co-promote the proprietary MeMed BV test on its Access Family of Immunoassay Analysers.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with MeMed to make this novel test available to millions of patients through our Access Family of Immunoassay Analysers. The ability to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections early in the diagnostic process has significant potential to impact patient care, as well as combat antimicrobial resistance,” said Julie Sawyer Montgomery, President, Beckman Coulter. “Today’s investment reflects our commitment to continuously expand our IA menu through novel biomarker development; advance Emergency Medicine diagnostics alongside our MDW biomarker to measure infection severity; and complement our microbiology innovations critical to identifying specific bacterial infection to optimise antibiotic therapies.”

Dr Eran Eden, MeMed’s CEO and co-founder added: “Our vision for MeMed BV is that it becomes standard of care, enabling significant improvements in patient management to address the urgent global antimicrobial resistance threat. We believe that forging a strategic alliance with an industry leader, such as Beckman Coulter, will expedite the realisation of this vision and support better clinical, operational, and financial outcomes for healthcare systems globally.”