Microplate Dx offers RapidPlate, a patented point‑of‑care diagnostic platform that performs antibiotic susceptibility testing on a microplate with low‑cost electrochemical biosensor electrodes, delivering pathogen identification and susceptibility results in under an hour. The system uses real‑time impedance measurements and proprietary algorithms to provide >90% accurate AST for urinary tract infections, enabling clinicians to prescribe the correct antibiotic at the first visit and support antimicrobial stewardship.
Funding
$13.3M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) leads to millions of deaths annually, driven in part by delayed or empirical antibiotic prescribing, especially for common infections like urinary tract infections (UTIs). Current susceptibility testing methods are slow, requiring laboratory infrastructure and 24‑48 hours to identify the effective drug.
Solution
Microplate Dx has developed RapidPlate, a patented diagnostic platform that performs antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) directly on a microplate containing biosensor electrodes coated with antibiotics. The system combines low‑cost screen‑printed electrodes with proprietary data‑processing algorithms to detect bacterial growth, identify the pathogen, and determine susceptibility within 60 minutes. Clinical pilot studies show >96 % accuracy for growth detection and 90‑95 % accuracy for species identification and AST compared with gold‑standard broth microdilution. By delivering a rapid, point‑of‑care AST result, the platform enables clinicians to prescribe the correct antibiotic at the first visit, reducing empirical use and supporting antimicrobial stewardship. The technology is initially targeted at UTIs, with a modular cartridge design that can be expanded to other bacterial and fungal infections.
Target Audience
Primary customers are clinical microbiology laboratories, hospital outpatient clinics, and primary‑care providers that need fast AST results for urinary tract infections and other bacterial infections.
Features
- Screen‑printed, low‑cost electrochemical biosensor electrodes functionalized with multiple antibiotics per cartridge
- Integrated hydrogel matrix for controlled antibiotic exposure and bacterial growth monitoring
- Real‑time impedance measurement and proprietary algorithms for rapid detection of bacterial proliferation
- Automated species identification and susceptibility profiling with >90 % accuracy in under one hour
- Compatible with standard laboratory workflows and can be deployed at point‑of‑care settings
- Scalable cartridge format allowing future expansion to a broad range of infectious agents