BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Day Zero Diagnostics, Inc., an infectious disease diagnostics company using genome sequencing and machine learning to combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced the commercial launch of its epiXactSM service for hospital-acquired infection (HAI) outbreak investigations.
The epiXact offering is a turnkey whole genome sequencing and analysis service that provides hospital infection control teams with a determination of the relatedness of infections in a suspected outbreak. Powered by Day Zero Diagnostic’s technology platform, results from epiXact are provided in just two to three days via an easy-to-understand report that is designed for infection control professionals. Hospitals armed with precise and reliable results from epiXact are able to quickly and confidently make high-stakes decisions regarding interventions for patient safety.
Most suspected outbreaks are identified through routine surveillance of patient medical records and lab reports. Current approaches to confirm if infections are related often rely on imprecise and subjective methods that can compromise the speed of a hospital’s response when urgent, wide-ranging interventions could be required. These same methods can also result in expensive and potentially unnecessary cautionary measures to control a suspected outbreak without the benefit of definitive confirmation.
“Suspected HAI outbreaks can pose serious risks to patients, often require extensive and disruptive interventions, and result in significant costs to hospitals,” said Jong Lee, CEO and co-founder of Day Zero Diagnostics. “The epiXact service helps institutions make fast and informed decisions to implement potentially life-saving measures to control an outbreak, or rule out an outbreak and avoid unnecessary and expensive interventions.”
The rising prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms has dramatically increased the risks of HAIs, which already affect 4-5% of hospitalized patients in the U.S. and result in 99,000 patient deaths per year.1 Preventing HAIs can lead to fewer illnesses requiring antibiotic treatment, shorter hospital stays, and reduced exposure to antibiotic-resistant organisms for patients.2 Hospitals invest substantial resources to control HAIs, as even a small risk of a persistent outbreak can lead to staff and patient screening, decolonization, patient isolation, monitoring measures, and ward closures.
The epiXact service’s determination of pathogen relatedness helps hospitals reduce the significant economic impact related to HAIs. When pathogens are related, rapidly taking measures to control an outbreak can reduce patient harm, avoid financial penalties from payers, and decrease patient safety concerns from regulators. When pathogens are unrelated, hospitals can avoid implementing costly patient safety measures out of an abundance of caution.
epiXact is the first commercially available service from Day Zero Diagnostic’s innovative technology platform and team of microbial genomics scientists. The company’s mission is to develop a new class of diagnostics capable of identifying both the species and the antibiotic resistance profile of a severe infection within hours, enabling physicians to provide faster and more precise treatments.
About Day Zero Diagnostics
Day Zero Diagnostics, Inc., based in Boston, is pioneering a new class of infectious disease diagnostics using whole genome sequencing and machine learning to combat the risk of antibiotic-resistant infections. The company was founded in 2016 by a team of clinicians and scientists from Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. The company is recognized as a leading innovator by MedTech Innovator, TedMed Hive, Xconomy, HealthTech Arkansas, and MassChallenge HealthTech. For more information visit www.dayzerodiagnostics.com.
1 Klevens, R.M., et al., Estimating Health Care-Associated Infections and Deaths in U.S. Hospitals, 2002. Public Health Reports, 2007. 122(2): p. 160-166.
2 https://health.gov/hcq/prevent-hai.asp
