New study shows MHRA collaboration with hospital DNA sequencing service cuts time to diagnose infections
In a UK-first, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Barts Health NHS Trust have developed a DNA sequencing approach that can be implemented onsite in hospitals so they can diagnose bacterial infections faster and more accurately.
This service will help doctors deliver better-targeted treatments earlier. For patients, this means a quicker recovery, fewer complications such as sepsis, and a reduced risk of spreading infections to others.
This technology is now being piloted to investigate and prevent hospital outbreaks caused by antibiotic-resistant 바카라 사이트榮uperbugs바카라 사이트� 바카라 사이트� a growing global threat.
The new approach, published today (6 March) in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, confirms that the DNA sequencing method can reliably detect which bacteria are causing an infection and which antibiotics will work best to treat it. The approach delivers results within two days, significantly faster than traditional methods which can take approximately seven days and, in some difficult cases, up to eight weeks.
Since September 2024, over 2000 patient samples have been analysed using the approach across seven London hospitals, including the Royal London, Whipps Cross, Newham, St Bartholomew바카라 사이트檚, Homerton, Lewisham, and Greenwich.
The goal is to make rapid DNA sequencing a routine part of hospital diagnostics across the NHS, bringing faster, more accurate infection testing to patients nationwide.
Health Minister Ashley Dalton said:
바카라 사이트淭his collaboration between the MHRA and the NHS shows British innovation at its best.
바카라 사이트淭his groundbreaking use of the technology in hospitals will cut diagnosis times down from weeks to just two days enabling doctors to provide the right treatment faster and saving lives, while also fighting the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
바카라 사이트淎s we move from analogue to digital, we are delivering practical solutions for our NHS which will improve patient care and help our frontline staff work more effectively.바카라 사이트�
Central to the success of this new service run by Barts Health is the MHRA바카라 사이트檚 work in developing reference materials 바카라 사이트� carefully controlled samples, recognised by the World Health Organization 바카라 사이트� that ensures patients receive consistent, trustworthy diagnoses. The MHRA is now working to standardise the technology, paving the way for wider NHS adoption. This could mean more hospitals can benefit from rapid, accurate bacterial infection diagnostics and prevent unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotic use.
Dr Chrysi Sergaki, Head of Microbiome at the MHRA, said:
바카라 사이트淭he pilot has demonstrated that this new technology is already making a real difference to patients바카라 사이트� lives. When someone comes into hospital with a serious infection, every hour counts. Instead of waiting days or even weeks to identify exactly what바카라 사이트檚 causing their infection, hospitals can now get answers within 48 hours. This means doctors can start the right treatment sooner, helping patients recover faster and get back home to their families.
바카라 사이트淎t the MHRA, our role is to develop and provide reference materials that ensure hospitals using this technology can produce consistent, reliable and accurate results they can trust in a service such as this.
바카라 사이트淲e are building on this work, developing reference materials to help detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which will be crucial in the fight against superbugs.바카라 사이트�
Ian Butler, Lead Clinical Scientist in Medical Microbiology at Barts Health NHS Trust, said:
바카라 사이트淭his is the first comprehensive clinical validation study of its kind in the UK 바카라 사이트� and one of the first globally 바카라 사이트� to test DNA sequencing with this new technology for diagnosing a wide range of infections.
바카라 사이트淏y analysing bacterial genetic material directly, we can detect infections more accurately, even complex infections, and much faster than traditional methods. This means we can precisely diagnose the infection and identify the right treatment sooner 바카라 사이트� especially for critically ill patients.
바카라 사이트淭his technology also holds promise for combating antibiotic resistance and managing hospital outbreaks in future applications. Here, the technology is already proving its worth: in November 2024 a pilot study using this technology helped investigate a drug-resistant E. coli outbreak at Newham Hospital affecting 58 patients. By identifying how resistance spread between bacterial species, the team was able to act quickly and prevent further transmission, as well as improve patient care.바카라 사이트�
Antimicrobial resistance has become a serious global threat, causing at least one million deaths every year since 1990. Without urgent action, the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project predicts that drug-resistant infections could claim more than 39 million lives between now and 2050.
To speed up the accurate detection of pathogens and quickly identifying those that are resistant to antimicrobial medicines, the focus is now on optimising and standardising this new DNA sequencing hospital service so it can be replicated elsewhere.
Notes to editors바카라 사이트�
- Publication: Ian Butler et al. (2025) 바카라 사이트楽tandardization of 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing using Nanopore Long Read Sequencing Technology for Clinical Diagnosis of Culture Negative Infections바카라 사이트� Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1517208/full
- Traditional diagnostic methods usually take around seven days from sample collection to identify bacterial infections. However, for certain infections, such as tuberculosis, a definitive diagnosis can take up to eight weeks. These wait times can delay treatment and infection control efforts.
- In addition to the MHRA, this project was made possible thanks to the聽National Measurement Laboratory (NML)聽at LGC,聽and United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) as part of the聽Healthcare Scientist聽Knowledge Transfer Partnership聽(HCS聽KTP) Programme,聽a 4-nation partnership programme between the NHS, the National Measurement System (funded by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology), and UKAS.聽The bacterial outbreak sequencing work was delivered through a funding grant from Barts Charity.
- DNA sequencing is a technique that reads the genetic code (DNA) of bacteria, similar to reading the instruction manual that tells bacteria how to function. This allows scientists to precisely identify which type of bacteria is present and which antibiotics it might be resistant to, helping doctors choose the most effective treatment.
- The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.바카라 사이트疶he MHRA is also a designated WHO Collaborating Centre for Biological Standardisation and plays a key role in the development and distribution of international reference reagents to ensure global standards in diagnostic testing.
- The MHRA has a key role in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. We rigorously use our science and data capabilities to enable innovation in new diagnostic approaches and also are working with innovators and stakeholders to identify approaches to accelerate patient access to novel anti-microbial products.
- The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.바카라 사이트�
- For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.바카라 사이트�
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Updated to change editor's note
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Updated to add info to editor's notes: 바카라 사이트淚n addition to the MHRA, this project was made possible thanks to the National Measurement Laboratory (NML), and United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) as part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Programme. The bacterial outbreak sequencing work was delivered through a funding grant from Barts Charity."
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First published.