CAMBRIDGE, MA AND PITTSBURGH, PA / ACCESS Newswire / January 23, 2025 / Next Gen Diagnostics (NGD), a pioneer in the development of machine learning models for whole genome sequence- (WGS-) based determination of bacterial antibiotic susceptibility, today announces that the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) has joined the NGD Cefiderocol Consortium, a part of NGD's effort (1) to develop a sequence-based diagnostic for resistance to Shionogi's cefiderocol, the first novel antibiotic in 30 years. Pitt's participation will be led by Associate Professor Ryan Shields, Pharm.D., whose research focuses on understanding mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in the bacterial infections known as "superbugs," resistant to almost all known antibiotics, that pose an ever-increasing threat to world health.
"The evolution of bacterial resistance to the antibiotics of last resort is one of humanity's great challenges," noted Dr. Shields. "My laboratory has studied mechanisms of resistance to the carbapenems, which are considered antibiotics of last resort, for more than 15 years, but unfortunately resistance is now widespread. New ß-lactam antibiotics such as cefiderocol can be effective for patients whose infections are carbapenem-resistant; however, accurate susceptibility testing in the microbiology laboratory is notoriously difficult. Alternative methods such as NGD's machine learning systems are urgently needed to determine cefiderocol susceptibility from whole genome sequence (WGS), and we are interested to see if NGD's ML systems can illuminate mechanisms of cefiderocol resistance as well. My group at Pitt is pleased to be joining NGD's Consortium to support the pursuit of urgently needed cefiderocol diagnostic capabilities."
NGD's recently announced (1) a collaboration with Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi, to both enable WGS-based determination of cefiderocol resistance from bacterial WGS, and to use NGD's methods to dissect these ML models to identify mechanisms of resistance and their interplay. The NGD Cefiderocol Consortium that Pitt is joining includes (2) the Wadsworth Center, the public health laboratory of the State of New York, one of the leading such facilities in the nation, and recently announced (3) Sheba Medical Center in Israel, the largest medical facility in the Middle East. All Consortium members will participate in publications as they emerge.
"NGD has rapidly assembled a global consortium in connection with our recently announced project with Shionogi," noted Dr. Paul A. Rhodes, NGD Founder and CEO. "Cefiderocol is the first drug of truly novel mechanism of action made available to humanity in 30 years, and we are finding enthusiasm in every quarter for this project. Dr. Shields's research into mechanisms of bacterial resistance to cefiderocol go back to 2015, longer than any other program outside of Shionogi of which I am aware, and his depth of understanding of mechanisms of resistance to this drug, among the most important antibiotics provided to humanity in a generation, make him the ideal collaborator to join this effort."
NGD has developed fully automated bioinformatic systems both for WGS-based detection of transmission and developed and validated (4) WGS-based machine learning models to determine antibiotic susceptibility in gram-negative bacteria. These models are proving to be more accurate than in vitro tests in clinically important cases, and moreover can be dissected to identify complex resistance mechanisms and their interplay. This work is building the foundation that will enable utilization of the unparalleled depth of information in bacterial WGS for future clinical applications.
About Next Gen Diagnostics
NGD, founded by Dr. Paul A. Rhodes in 2017 along with Sanger Institute group leaders in Cambridge, UK, has built and validated world-leading automation of pathogen bioinformatics, while the unique NGD100 microfluidic sample preparation instrument enables NGD to offer the lowest cost integrated sequencing and bioinformatics services available. NGD combines these capabilities to enable the WGS-based detection of transmission in health care settings, and is working with collaborators in the US, Europe and Israel to be among the first to bring WGS-based determination of antibiotic resistance to patient care. NGD is based in the US, with a sequencing and susceptibility testing laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and subsidiaries in Cambridge, UK and Israel.
For press inquiries related to NGD, please contact: press@nextgen-dx.com
For press inquiries related to Pitt, please contact: hydzikam@upmc.edu
Contact Information
Next Gen Diagnostics
press@nextgen-dx.com
SOURCE: Next Gen Diagnostics
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