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SimCells are genome-free, non-replicating bacterial cells exhibiting all the important surface features of living cells, but which cannot grow or divide. This makes them ideal candidates for whole-cell vaccines against pathogenic bacteria. Oxford SimCell Ltd. is developing SimCell-based vaccines against high-priority pathogens, especially antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus.

Traditional bacterial inactivation methods – including heat, chemicals, or radiation – damage important cell-surface antigens, whereas SimCells present all antigens in their native conformation and context. SimCell vaccines are effective in preclinical in vivo models, and represent a tool for reducing incidence of bacterial infection and combatting the global rise of AMR.

Microplate Dx has developed and validated a rapid, affordable, AST platform, 'RapidPlate' which performs AST directly from patient samples and provides personalised recommendations of appropriate antibiotics to use for bacterial or fungal infections, all <1 hour. RapidPlate comprises a benchtop instrument (reader) with measurement electronics, software, and readout. Test cartridge consumables, featuring multiple hydrogel-modified electrode sensors, laden with different antibiotics to develop electrochemical growth profiles from samples, complete the novel system. RapidPlate is a scalable platform technology: following first deployment to provide treatment guidance for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a timely targeted manner, it has significant potential to scale to a range of other bacterial and fungal infections according to market need.

We aim to adapt and validate Lacewing, our innovative diagnostic technology, into a first-ever portable device that can identify bacterial infection in <20 minutes using just a drop of fingerprick blood. Our test will “read” the immune response of the patient to understand the source and severity of their illness, rather than finding specific pathogens causing the problem. This is paired with groundbreaking technology involving high-quality sample extraction, lab-grade detection and sensors in microchip technology, all miniaturised for true portability.