Antibiogramoscope Device

• 15 Apr 2019

A team of professors at Anna University, Chennai has developed a device called Antibiogramoscope to deal with antibiotic resistance.

• The research was supported by University Grants Commission (UGC) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• The team developed a liquid Antibiotic Sensitivity Testing (AST) medium. To this, a commercially available fluorescent molecule is added along with the sample (body fluid).
  • This is transferred to the antibiogramoscope’s microwells which are coated with one type of antibiotic.
  • When bacteria grow in the medium, it produces a compound called erucamide, which binds to the fluorescent molecule, turning OFF its fluorescence.
  • This means if we see fluorescence in some microwells, those antibiotics are effective in killing the bacteria.
  • No fluorescence means the bacteria is growing despite the antibiotic which highlights antibiotic resistance.
• The advantages of Antibiogramoscope over traditional methods are:
  • It identifies resistant strains of bacteria much quicker, helping physicians choose the right drug, all at a lower cost.
  • The existing method uses a solid medium to grow bacteria, while this new method uses liquid medium giving superior results.
  • The system is automated, needing no human intervention once the samples and medium are loaded.
• Antibiogramoscope has cleared validation tests at National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited microbiological lab.

National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)

• NABL is a Constituent Board of Quality Council of India.
• NABL has been established with the objective of providing Government, Industry Associations and Industry in general with a scheme of Conformity Assessment Body’s accreditation which involves third-party assessment of the technical competence of testing including medical and calibration laboratories, proficiency testing providers and reference material producers.
• Quality Council of India (QCI) as a non-profit autonomous society registered under Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• The aim of QCI is to establish an accreditation structure in the country and to spread quality movement in India by undertaking a National Quality Campaign.

• It can be noted that in a separate development which is also significant, the scientists at the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) have come up with a way to inhibit the multiplication of bacteria even before the cell wall begins to grow.