CARB-X funds rapid diagnostic test platform for bloodstream infections

News brief

CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) today announced an award of $3.5 million to biotechnology company Melio to develop a rapid diagnostic test for bloodstream infections, including neonatal sepsis.

Melio's culture-free diagnostic platform uses molecular and microfluidic technology to identify clinically relevant pathogens and actionable antibiotic-resistance markers directly from blood within 3 hours. Company officials say the platform could enable providers to make early, targeted antibiotic treatment decisions and fill a crucial gap in sepsis care for newborns.

An estimated 2.5 million babies a year worldwide die within the first month of life from sepsis, which progresses rapidly and requires immediate treatment with antibiotics. Traditional diagnostic testing to identify the causative pathogen requires blood cultures and takes 2 to 3 days for results.

Focus on neonatal sepsis

The award from CARB-X, which has made neonatal sepsis diagnosis a focus of its recent funding round, will enable Melio to develop and execute a technical feasibility platform.

"Melio's technology that utilizes direct from blood isolation using acoustic technology followed by melt curve identification, if successful, would represent a great stride made to detect neonatal sepsis, a syndrome that increases the likelihood of mortality the longer treatment is delayed," Erin Duffy, PhD, CARB-X Chief of Research & Development, said in a press release. "We look forward to working with Melio to understand their technology better and accelerate this diagnostic so that it may reach medical staff and patients more quickly."

"We are excited to join the CARB-X ecosystem, which connects us with a network of clinical experts and policy leaders, fostering collaboration, shared learning, and significantly accelerating our path to commercialization," said Melio CEO and Founder Mridu Sunha, PhD.

Since its inception in 2016, CARB-X has supported 107 early-stage antibiotic, diagnostic, and vaccine projects in 13 countries.

China reports infections from H9N2, H10N3 avian flu

News brief

Lisa Schnirring

China has reported to more human infections involving H9N2 avian influenza, which involve children from two different provinces, Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said in its latest weekly avian influenza update.

backyard poultry — *Alesia Davydava/iStock*

The patients include a 1-year-old girl from the city of Chongqing whose symptoms began on December 13, 2024, and an 8-year-old girl from Hubei province who got sick on November 27, 2024. The report did not say how the patients were exposed, but H9N2 infections are typically reported in people who have contact with poultry or poultry environments.

H9N2 is known to circulate in poultry across parts of Asia, with sporadic infections reported in people. Infections are typically mild, with most infections reported children. The new cases raise the number of H9N2 infections in China for 2024 to 17.

H10N3 infects Guangxi province woman

The CHP report also noted another H10N3 infection from the mainland. The patient is a 23-year-old woman from Guangxi province in southern China. Her symptoms began on December 12, 2024. The report didn’t note her exposure to the virus, or her current condition.

The woman’s illness appears to mark China’s fourth H10N3 case over the past few years. All cases had severe infections.

4 in 10 Minnesota COVID survivors report having at least 1 lingering symptom

News brief

Mary Van Beusekom, MS

Woman with severe headache — Fizkes / iStock

Over 40% of Minnesota COVID-19 survivors interviewed reported having one or more symptoms lasting at least 3 months, many still had symptoms at 6 months or longer, 20% had a severe persistent symptom, and two-thirds said they had problems performing daily activities such as housework or going to work or school, according to a 2023 Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) phone survey.

"This suggests that an estimated 365,000 adults in Minnesota could have experienced symptoms of long COVID," MDH wrote.

In total, 1,270 adults completed the interview. "Due to low participation and other survey limitations, this group may not represent all Minnesotans experiencing lasting symptoms after a COVID-19 infection," the authors cautioned. "Nonetheless, their input can help the public, health care providers, and public health professionals understand long COVID symptoms and how they can impact a person’s daily activities and health care experiences."

Vaccination appears protective

The most commonly reported long-COVID symptoms were tiredness, fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog, and cough. Other symptoms were muscle pain, sleep problems, headaches, joint pain, and loss of taste or smell.

Nearly half of those who experienced a long-lasting symptom said they had visited a health care provider about a new health issue after their COVID-19 infection, however, only 9% were told by their provider that they may have long COVID.

Adults who were vaccinated at the time of their first COVID-19 infection were less likely to report lingering symptoms than unvaccinated respondents. Similar to national study findings, participants who completed the primary COVID-19 vaccination series and at least one booster dose had a 30% lower risk of long-COVID symptoms than their unvaccinated peers.

"Nearly half of those who experienced a long-lasting symptom said they had visited a health care provider about a new health issue after their COVID-19 infection, however, only 9% were told by their provider that they may have long COVID," the report said.

MDH said it is conducting a statewide study with 12 healthcare systems that serve over 90% of the state's population to recognize and describe long-COVID with the aim of improving diagnosis and treatment, particularly among underserved patient groups.