Rapid cell-based UTI diagnosis and antibiotic selection test

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded the University of Miami $617,438 on April 1, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to develop a rapid cell-based diagnostic test for urinary tract infections and antimicrobial resistance screening.

The project addresses the clinical need for point-of-care UTI diagnosis and antibiotic selection. Current diagnostic methods—urine analysis and culture—require 1–3 days for results and lack sensitivity and specificity; existing point-of-care platforms based on leukocyte esterase and nitrite testing provide indirect infection measurement without bacterial load quantification. The funded research will develop a diagnostic platform that directly measures bacterial load (clinical threshold: 100,000 CFU/mL) and screens for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, supporting faster and more targeted treatment decisions to combat antibiotic resistance.

The University of Miami, through its Office of Research Administration – School of Medicine Division, serves as the recipient. Performance occurs in Miami, Florida, with a period of performance from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2030. The award is structured as a Project Grant, the standard NIH research grant mechanism for defined projects over a fixed term.

Abstract

Bacterial infection and antibiotic resistance are major healthcare issues facing the world. Designing rapid tests to tackle these challenges is critical. For example, urinary tract infections, utis, approximately affect 150 million people worldwide annually. A bacterial load ≥ 100,000 CFU/ML in urine is a clinical indication of a patient suffering from a UTI. Current gold standard diagnosis is largely based on urine analysis and urine culture to verify the presence of bacteria. This requires a clinical lab and takes 1-3 days to get the final diagnosis. Existing point-of- care (POC) platforms such as those based on leukocyte esterase reagent strips and nitrite testing, which form part of urine analysis are an indirect measurement of infection, have low sensitivity and specificity, and do not provide any information about the bacterial load, which could be critical in the treatment decision. Gold standard treatment for utis involves antibiotics, which are in general very effective in resolving the infection. However, the misuse and abuse of antibiotics has led to a growing number of cases of antibiotic resistance in patients with UTI. Thus, hand in hand with the need for better UTI tests, there is also a growing need for tests which can screen for the presence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria in patients suffering from UTI. For example, a bacterial load of