BAC2BAC

Annually, around 20 million Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients worldwide require mechanical ventilation (MV). These patients are at risk of developing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Current diagnostic techniques for VAP are limited. The resulting diagnostic uncertainty leads to overprescription of antibiotics, and contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Through funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the CARB-X (Combatting antibiotic resistance bacteria) consortium, we have developed an Optical Molecular imaging platform capable of real-time visualisation of bacteria and activated immune system cells in a patient’s alveolar space.

This study will assess the diagnostic accuracy of the platform (relative to existing techniques) in mechanically-ventilated patients with suspected or confirmed respiratory infections. This study is funded by the Wellcome Trust, and will take place in 4 UK sites.