CalScreener tackles antiobiotic resistance with calorimetry

Symcel, has developed cell-based assay tool, calScreener, to address antibiotic resistance

CalScreener is a solution for antibiotic development and monitoring which uses calorimetry, cell based assay to measure bacterial activity.

Calorimetry measures the power produced in a cell culture as Joules/ second (W). The heat generated is a measurement of the metabolic processes in cells.

Different bacteria and different treatments give rise to unique heat profiles that reveal significant information about the system being tested.

A growth curve, creating by integrating the metabolic power over time to accumulate heat over time (in Joules), provides data that enables both the lag-time and the maximal growth rate of the cell culture to be calculated. This serves as the basis for determining the effect of antibiotic treatment, according to Symcel.

Magnus Jansson, chief scientific officer at Symcel said: “The properties of calorimetry based cell monitoring and the data it produces, are uniquely well suited to the development of novel antibiotics.

“CalScreener enables assays to be performed on bacteria in solution as well as on solid media, including 3D matrixes like bone biopsies, surgical and dental implant materials.”

Jansson continued: “One of the unique properties of calorimetry based metabolic monitoring of bacterial growth is that the pattern of energy expenditure is both species as well as strain specific.

“Consequently, each bacteria gives rise to a specific growth pattern as heat production over time. Even minor changes in growth behavior, such as metabolic pathway mutations, biofilm formation and antimicrobial sensitivity are all detected.”

Calorimetry also enables continuous monitoring of metabolic activity over prolonged times.

Symcal said that this has the benefit of enabling the monitoring of persister-cells, or cells which are derived with antibiotic resistance by the pressure of natural selection, giving rise to metabolic activity at a lower but constant rate during a prolonged period of time – with the cells distinguishable in the assay.

Christer Wallin, CEO of Symcel, said: “Calorimetry is an easy to use technique for the accurate and reliable monitoring of multiple modes of action of combined therapies and the use of potentiating compounds, with no inherent antibiotic properties. It is a good value proposition for the healthcare sector.”