Antimicrobial synergy diagnostic against multidrug resistant pathogens

Purpose and goal

The ASEND-MDR project, a Sweden–Korea collaboration between academia, hospitals, and industry, aims to combat multidrug-resistant infections by developing and clinically validating CombiANT—a rapid, scalable diagnostic that quantifies synergy in antibiotic combinations. Our goal is to enable guided, personalized therapy at the bedside, in order to accelerate recovery, reduce mortality, and slow resistance, bringing high-impact, instrument-free innovation to clinics worldwide.

Expected effects and result

ASEND-MDR will deliver a clinic-ready, validated CombiANT assay that turns antibiotic-combination choice from guesswork into data. We expect faster targeted therapy, shorter hospital stays, and reduced mortality in MDR infections, with clear cost savings. Outcomes include prospective clinical evidence, health-economic proof, and a regulatory path—enabling rapid, instrument-free adoption from university labs to community hospitals worldwide.

Planned approach and implementation

Implementation begins with a swift setup across Swedish and Korean labs, then a phased roll-out in hospitals. First, archived samples benchmark CombiANT; next, real-time patient care tests its impact. The plate-based test drops straight into routine workflows—no instruments needed—so adoption is immediate. Shared data pipelines, ethics oversight, and hands-on training ensure quality. Proven results then power regulatory filings and rapid global scale-up.