Tag: Prof. Andrej Trampuz

Company News: Curetis Joins European Prosthetic Joint Infection Cohort Study (EPJIC)

–      Unyvero i60 ITI cartridges to be run on 500 prospectively collected patient samples from multi-center study across Europe

–      All Unyvero testing to be conducted in central reference lab under the auspices of the PRO-IMPLANT Foundation and Prof. Andrej Trampuz

Curetis AG, a developer of next-level molecular diagnostic solutions, today announced it has joined the European Prosthetic Joint Infection Cohort Study (EPJIC). EPJIC is an initiative of the PRO-IMPLANT Foundation to improve the management of Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) and to develop consensus guidelines across Europe. PJI is one of the leading causes of joint implant failure. Treatment often requires multiple surgical interventions and prolonged antibiotic therapy and is associated with a failure rate of 10 to 20 percent.

The investigator-initiated study has started in September 2014 and will enroll up to 5,000 PJI patients from up to 100 study centers across Europe. As part of the study, 500 patient samples will be measured by the Unyvero i60 ITI multiplex PCR cartridge system to identify pathogens involved in prosthetic joint infection, a key indication area of the Unyvero i60 ITI cartridge. The data will help build the body of evidence especially in PJI diagnosis using sonication fluid samples. As already demonstrated in the CE performance evaluation study of the i60 cartridge, the Unyvero system is able to detect pathogens frequently missed by microbiology culture. Also, Unyvero i60 results are available within about 5 hours compared to classical microbiological culture methods that can take up to 14 days with PJI samples.

The study’s Unyvero arm is expected to be completed by the end of 2015, with initial data anticipated in the first half of 2015. Data will be published at major conferences and in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

The Unyvero i60 cartridge, which is jointly marketed by Curetis and Heraeus Medical GmbH, covers a broad range of infections common after abdominal as well as bone and joint surgery, trauma (e.g. burns) or skin and soft tissue infections, including diabetic foot disease. Its multiplex panel covers a total of 114 targets – 91 pathogens (gram-negative & gram-positive bacteria and fungi) and 23 resistance markers – relevant for eight clinical indications.

In combination with the unique Unyvero L4 Lysator, it can process biofilm samples, an important prerequisite for the fast and reliable diagnosis of implant infections (catheters, joints etc.).

Company News: Curetis to Present Clinical Unyvero™ Data at Major Scientific Conferences

–      Lower Respiratory Tract application: initial clinical evaluation data from U.S. center will be presented at ICAAC 2013 (USA)

–      New application Implant and Tissue Infections: first data will be presented at DGHM/DGI meeting (Germany)

Curetis AG today announced the upcoming presentation of new clinical data on two Unyvero™ applications at the 53rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC 2013) in Denver, CO (Sept. 10-13) and at the 65th Joint Annual Meeting of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology and the German Society for Infectious Diseases (DGHM/DGI 2013) in Rostock, Germany (Sept. 22-25).

Curetis will introduce clinical data from a U.S. pre-FDA trial phase of its Unyvero™ LRT (Lower Respiratory Tract) infection application at the ICAAC conference. The poster ‘Evaluation of a Molecular Multiplex Test For Detection of Respiratory Microorganism and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Clinical Specimens[1] will present data generated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL) during the initial familiarization and training phase for the FDA trial. The FDA trial is now being conducted at four sites; all clinical data are blinded until completion of this ongoing trial which is expected for 2014. The LRT application is already marketed and branded outside the U.S. as the Unyvero™ P50 pneumonia application. During ICAAC, Curetis will also showcase its Unyvero™ Solution at booth no. 822 in the exhibition hall.

Moreover, Curetis will present data of its novel Unyvero™ i60 ITI application for the diagnosis of implant and tissue infections detecting pathogens and resistance markers at the annual DGHM/DGI meeting. The poster presentation ‘A new Multiplex PCR-Panel for the Detection of Pathogens Related to Implant and Tissue Infection’[2] will introduce the panel chosen for the diagnosis of eight indication areas and present initial validation and verification data with clinical samples. Curetis will also host the industry symposium ‘Implant and Tissue Infections – A Diagnostic Challenge’ (Sept. 24, 12:15-1:15pm, Auditorium 2) featuring talks and case studies by Prof. Petra Gastmeier (Berlin, Germany), Dr. Anne Thews (Holzgerlingen, Germany), Prof. Andrej Trampuz (Berlin, Germany), and Dr. Olivier Borens (Lausanne, Switzerland). A second poster based on data independently generated at the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland will present a ‘Comparison of the Unyvero™ Pneumonia P50 Assay with standard culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing’.[3]


[1] Presentation D-1655a, Session: #214 – Diagnosis and Epidemiology of Respiratory Infections, Sept. 13, 8:30-10:30am, Exhibit Hall A.

[2] Presentation DVP02, Postersession I (StAG Diagnostic Microbiology and Microbiology Procedures Quality Standards), Sept. 23,
3:00pm, Auditorium 1

[3] Presentation KMP14, Postersession II (StAG Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases), Sept. 24, 3:00pm, Room HS323.