Visby Medical Secures Additional $3.9M from CARB-X to Fight Antibiotic Resistance with PCR-Based Mutation Detection at the POC
SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Visby Medical™, a leading innovator in rapid PCR diagnostics, has secured an additional $3.9 million from the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) to accelerate its fight against antibiotic resistance. This funding builds on a $1.2 million grant awarded in December 2023 and propels Visby's development of groundbreaking diagnostic tools that pinpoint resistance-conferring mutations in infections, starting with ciprofloxacin susceptibility.
The additional funding will advance Visby's pioneering work funded by CARB-X, which has demonstrated its preliminary ability to detect Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) from urine and vaginal swabs and distinguish ciprofloxacin-susceptible strains. Next, Visby will continue development toward integrating these capabilities into its Visby MedicalSexual Health Test, which detects chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis. The company is also developing a digital companion app and AI-driven tools to make result interpretation seamless, while working on cost-cutting innovations for its platform.
Ciprofloxacin is a former frontline antibiotic that has been sidelined due to widespread resistance. With Visby's rapid test, doctors could determine if this convenient, inexpensive oral antibiotic is effective and reserve ceftriaxone—currently the only antibiotic that remains effective against resistant gonorrhea—for truly resistant cases.
"Antibiotic resistance is a critical concern across all of healthcare, and especially in sexually transmitted infections for which numbers continue to rise," explained Gary Schoolnik, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Visby Medical. "Particularly for N.gonorrhoeae, which is a poster child for acquiring resistance, unlocking the treatment potential of ciprofloxacin could mean the difference between extending the lifetime of ceftriaxone either for decades, or only a handful of years."
About Visby Medical
Founded in 2012, Visby Medical is transforming the order of diagnosis and treatment for infectious diseases so clinicians can test, talk with, and treat the patient in a single visit. The Company developed a proprietary technology platform that is the world's first instrument-free, single-use PCR platform that fits in the palm of your hand and rapidly tests for serious infections. Their commercialized point-of-care tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and respiratory infections (COVID-19 and the flu) deliver true PCR results in under 30 minutes. For more information, visit www.visby.com. Follow Visby Medical on LinkedIn.
CARB-X funding for this research is supported by federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; under agreement number 75A50122C00028, and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the UK Department of Health and Social Care as part of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF). The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views CARB-X or its funders.
Media Contact: press@visby.com
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SOURCE Visby Medical