1. N-Assay Overview and Potential
Jonathan Faro, MD, PhD
Medical Director, Nanologix, Inc

2. Historical Context
-Traditionally, detection (via culture) of a clinically relevant bacterial pathogen takes 3 days
-If the clinician needs to know what antibiotic to use, that may take an extra 2-3 days

3. As the patient is decompensating, the bacterial pathogen is flourishing!

4. State of Affairs
In 2010, it was reported that 2 million people suffer from healthcare associated infections… EVERY YEAR.
Of these individuals, 90,000 DO NOT SURVIVE.
Direct costs to hospitals due to these infections ranges from 28 to 45 billion, ANNUALLY.
The majority of these infections ARE PREVENTABLE.
However, the rate of these infections continues to rise.
Patricia Stone, PhD. Economic Burden of Healthcare-Associated Infections: an American Perspective. Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res 2009 Oct:9(5):

5. Immuno-diagnostics
In order to more rapidly detect bacterial pathogens, a number of companies have offered tests that will more quickly identify bacteria
Accelerate Diagnostics (Pheno System)
Becton Dickinson (BD Max)
bioMerieux (BACT-ALERT)
Quidel (Solana Assay)

6. Problems with the current assays
These assays are costly to run, and the machines are costly to maintain
They require specialized training
They lack sensitivity
They lack specificity
Overall, diagnostic accuracy is poor
They are not able to differentiate between viable/non-viable pathogens
They do not offer any info regarding the size of the inoculum
These tests do not offer the clinician any information regarding which antibiotic will be effective/ineffective

7. The Solution: The N-Assay
Very inexpensive to manufacture
Does not require specialized training to run
Differentiates between viable and non-viable pathogens
May be tailored to potentially any bacterial/fungal pathogen
Shows an incredibly high degree of sensitivity and specificity
Is faster than other tests, providing results in as little as 30 minutes, or as long as 6 hours.
One huge advantage over the other tests: The N-Assay allows for the simultaneous detection of a bacteria and the determination of antibiotic susceptibility

8. How does the N-Assay Work?
Antibodies generated against the target pathogen “pull down,” or isolate the pathogen from a complex biological sample
Sample may be from any body source, such as urine, blood, vaginal-rectal specimen, etc.
After 30 minutes, target antibody is applied, and detects high inoculum of pathogen present
If lower inoculum is present, incubation time is increased, making the test more sensitive
Antibiotics may be added during a 6 hour incubation period, allowing the clinician to determine what antibiotics will work to target the pathogen more effectively. This allows for:
More rapid de-escalation of antibiotics
Reduction in the development of antimicrobial resistance
Economic savings, as antibiotics are not wasted/used indiscriminately
Reduction in the number of allergic reactions that occur, as patients are not needlessly exposed to antibiotics while they await the results of culture

9. Future of the N-Assay
Currently, the assay has been formulated for both dot-blot and ELISA methodologies. We are actively engaged in developing the assay into a lateral flow assay (LFA). Configuring the assay into an LFA will allow:
True Point-of-care ability (POC). The test will then be able to be run in the clinic, on labor and delivery, at the patient’s bedside, or even in some cases, by the patient themselves, at home.
The test will also be configured in the format of specific panels, so that the clinician may run either a “Sepsis N-Assay,” a “Chronic UTI N- Assay,” or a “Preterm labor/Early onset neonatal sepsis N-Assay,” depending on the clinician’s needs.
Targeting the assay for specific clinical scenarios will help save money and streamline results.

10. Global Diagnostics Market
In the US, the market in diagnostics is expected to grow to 20 billion by the year 2022.
Globally, this is anticipated to reach 31 billion by 2026.
Given the unique features of the N-Assay (its ability to identify a pathogen and simultaneously determine the right antibiotic to guide treatment), its ease of use (may be developed as a point-of-care test, which may be used at the patient’s bedside, in the clinic, or even at home), its low cost to manufacture, its high rate of accuracy (see publications listed on next slide), and its ability to differentiate between viable and non-viable pathogens, this assay is well positioned to dominate the market.

11. References
Song JY, Lin LL, Shott S, Kimber N, Tangora J, Cohen A, Wells A, Maezes M, Aroutcheva A, Faro S. Evaluation of the Strep B OIA test compared to standard culture methods for detection of group B streptococci. Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 1999;7(4):
Davies HD, Miller MA, Faro S, Gregson D, Kehl SC, Jordan JA. Multicenter study of a rapid molecular-based assay for the diagnosis of group B Streptococcus colonization in pregnant women. Clin Infect Dis Oct 15;39(8):
Faro J, Katz A, Bishop K, Riddle G, Faro S. Rapid diagnostic test for identifying group B streptococcus. Am J Perinatol Dec;28(10):811-4.
Faro JP, Bishop K, Riddle G, Ramirez MM, Katz AR, Turrentine MA, Faro S. Accuracy of an accelerated, culture-based assay for detection of group B streptococcus. Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. 2013;2013:
Faro J, Mitchell M, Chen YJ, Kamal S, Riddle G, Faro S. Development of a novel test for simultaneous bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility. Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol ;2016: