A new test, similar to COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, developed by RMIT University researchers can help detect a common infection in expecting mothers within minutes.
This new test could potentially save the lives of 150,000 newborns around the world every year as early detection helps easily treat the infection using standard antibiotics.
Indian-origin Prof. Vipul Bansal, Director of the Sir Ian Potter NanoBioSensing Facility at RMIT University, is the lead resaercher on this project.
In 2007, after completing a PhD in Nano-biotechnology at the National Chemical Laboratory in India, Prof. Bansal migrated to Australia to join the University of Melbourne as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
Prof. Bansal says testing for GBS during weeks 36 to 37 of pregnancy took 5 to 7 days in a pathology lab.
“This new sensor technology would cut the testing time down to 15 minutes. That won’t just save babies’ lives, it will also save millions in medical costs.”
Prof. Bansal’s expertise across biological and chemical sciences has allowed his team to develop crosscutting technologies for applications across sensor technologies, catalysis, microbial management and cellular immunotherapies.
He adds:
“We have developed biomarkers that can detect GBS bacteria with accuracy and high sensitivity.”
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria is carried by 1 in 5 pregnant women. GBS pathology testing cost the Australian healthcare system about $94 million last financial year. This infection can cause serious complications, leading to preterm births, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths.
Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science, said the development of this “Aussie know-how” would give doctors a fighting chance against one of the leading causes of death and disability for newborn babies.
“The fact this technology also offers the potential to free up tens of millions of dollars within our healthcare system to help other Australians in need is just cherry on the cake. Just more proof that Australian science and our know-how matters and can make a difference.”
RMIT University is part of a consortium that has just won $3 million in funding in the latest Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) round for StrepSure®, a sensor technology that’s anticipated to be able to identify GBS bacteria within minutes. It is partnering with innovation company NEXSEN Biotech, clinicians at Northern Health and Atomo Diagnostics.
Assoc. Prof. Prahlad Ho, Chair of Northern Health Research Executive Committee and Divisional Director of Diagnostic Services, said this project will help improve clinical outcomes for babies.
In January 2024, Prof. Bansal, after a rigorous application and peer-nomination process, was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), UK, the oldest chemistry society in the world.
Prof. Bansal says that the research team is now in the process of making a prototype test, to detect the presence of GBS in vaginal swabs.
Total funding for the GBS sensor project is $7.6 million, with a $3 million grant from the Federal Government for field trials of new low-cost sensor technology in the Northern Health system.
RMIT has filed a provisional patent application to protect the key intellectual property underpinning the GBS sensor technology. It is reported that within the next three years, the RAT-like technology will undergo large-scale clinical trials and be taken to regulators in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
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