Meningococcal disease (MD), caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups (mainly ABCXWY), annually affects 1.2 million people worldwide (mainly children). Due to its high lethality (ca. 8-15% treated patients), permanent sequelae and epidemic potential, MD represents a major public health problem. However, despite the societal burden, there remains a lack of rapid and accurate diagnostic tools for timely and early treatment and is very costly for healthcare systems (e.g. direct costs valued in €68 M/hospital/year.)
BioSpeedia (spin-off from Institut Pasteur) develops and manufactures in vitro rapid diagnostic tests that respond to the needs in the field of infectious diseases. In collaboration with the Institut Pasteur, and supported by the World Health Organization, BioSpeedia is developing MeningoSpeed- the first rapid diagnostic test (RDT) able to detect the six Nm serogroups altogether. MeningoSpeed is non-invasive, (urine sample), accurate (sensitivity and specificity >93%), rapid (<15 min), cost-competitive (€45 sample, 25 % cheaper than alternatives) and easy to use on the field and at the bedside, enabling its wide implementation at the point of care (PoC), helping physicians to rapidly prescribe the appropriate antibiotic for the patient.