iSOLID
Infectious diseases are among the ten most common causes of death in Europe. A large proportion of severe infections are caused by so-called biofilm infections, for which there are currently no diagnostic methods available for detection and targeted therapy. Rapid and specific detection of pathogens is a prerequisite for the correct choice of antibiotic therapy.
The iSOLID laboratory process system enables the rapid and reliable detection of such infections using digital image diagnostics and recommends the appropriate treatment. The system is being evaluated at Charité in Berlin.
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) offers a specific diagnosis of infectious diseases caused by biofilms. This diagnostic method is based on fluorescence-labeled DNA probes and combines the advantages of molecular biology, fluorescence microscopy, and histology. “Thanks to FISH testing, biofilms can now be routinely viewed and detected under a microscope for the first time. The bacteria involved in the infection are detected and identified so that specific treatment can be initiated promptly,” says Prof. Dr. Annette Moter from the German Heart Center Berlin.
The FISH method is based on very large amounts of image data, the analysis of which is time-consuming and complex. The iSolid system integrates digital image analysis methods for the automatic detection and quantification of microorganisms, as well as a workflow and sample handling solution. This enables the quantitative analysis of biofilms for the development of new prevention and treatment methods. With an intuitive image communication and archiving system (PACS), all relevant image files are stored quickly and securely and are available for processing.
HB Technologies AG, CHILI GmbH, the Biofilm Center of the German Heart Center Berlin, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS are involved in the project. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through its project management agency VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH Düsseldorf.
The objective of all project partners is to equip additional laboratories with licensed know-how and equipment technology for FISH diagnostics and to implement evaluation via Tele-FISH.
