Spotlight Diagnostics (Spotlight Dx) is working on a rapid and accurate test for detecting infectious diseases. The test should be able to be used on-site in resource-constrained countries.
Infectious diseases such as malaria, gonorrhoea and chlamydia cause major problems worldwide. The impact of these diseases is particularly high in low-income countries. For instance, an estimated 600,000 people die of malaria every year, with as many as over 95% of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
Limited medical care
A key factor here is limited medical care in low-income countries, partly due to lack of resources and weak infrastructure. This greatly complicates diagnostics. "Aid workers often treat without knowing exactly what is wrong," says Claire Michielsen, co-founder of Spotlight Dx.
In practice, this means that patients are sometimes given antibiotics when there is no bacteria. This is not only risky for the patient, but also contributes to antibiotic resistance.
Affordable and user-friendly test
Spotlight Dx aims to provide a solution to this problem with the test it is working on. The start-up was founded by researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and physician microbiologists from the Global Health Initiative foundation.
Spotlight Dx is working on a test that allows rapid detection of pathogens with an affordable and easy-to-use test. "Our test does not need a lab to measure accurately; a simple readout device is sufficient," says Michielsen.
The test uses CRISPR technology, known from gene modification, to recognise the DNA of pathogens. In doing so, the researchers deploy Cas9 proteins that react only when they find the correct DNA. Linked to these Cas9 proteins are luciferase proteins, which are enzymes that light up if they recognise the correct DNA.
Technology developed during COVID-19 pandemic
The technology used by Spotlight Dx has been in development for years within the research group of Maarten Merkx, one of the co-founders of Spotlight Dx. The research group developed the first test during the COVID-19 pandemic and tested it at the Rijnstate hospital in Arnhem. The study results proved promising and were published by the researchers in the journal ACS Central Science.
Recently, the test was applied on a small scale to material from patients with gonorrhoea and chlamydia. The researchers developed colour variants for these infections: blue light indicates that chlamydia has been recognised, while green light represents gonorrhoea.
Validation in Ugandan hospital
Harm van der Veer, co-founder of Spotlight Dx, will soon travel to Uganda. Here, he plans to validate the test at Kumi Hospital, which operates in a rural setting. "We are focusing on malaria initially," Van der Veer explains.
"Malaria still causes many deaths worldwide. Currently, antigen tests are still mainly used to diagnose the disease, but these are thus not very sensitive and, moreover, miss more and more infections due to increasing presence of mutations. The WHO has been advocating better tests for years - we are committed to contributing to this."
Strong local network
Spotlight Dx has five founders. They include two physician microbiologists: Guido Bastiaens and Erik Schaftenaar. Both conducted their PhD research in Sub-Saharan Africa and spent much of their medical careers here. Michielsen explains: "They have built a strong network and have seen with their own eyes how great the need is."
The startup is working with multiple parties in Sub-Saharan Africa, including universities and research centres in Uganda, Rwanda and Burkina Faso.
The startup receives financial support from the University Fund Eindhoven (UFe) and the National Growth Fund's Biotech Booster programme. "This Biotech Booster project fits perfectly with what we want to achieve with Spotlight Dx," said Van der Veer.
'Building company that can continue to exist on its own'
Spotlight Dx ultimately wants to make a big social impact, while operating as a full-fledged, independent company. "We are not a charity, but are building a company that can continue to exist on its own and also grow to make more impact," Michielsen explains.
The startup wants to eventually move production of the test kits to countries where the need is greatest. In this way, Spotlight Dx aims to make the technology accessible, affordable and sustainably deployable.
Image: PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay
