RAPID & HSE secure commercialisation funding for new urine capture & diagnostic device to reduce recurrent UTIs

RAPID PIs John Gleeson (Deputy Director (Industry)) and Nigel Kent (Deputy Head of School, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering) have successfully acquired Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Funding to help develop a novel device for easier and more robust urine collection. 

Working with inventors Máire Kane and Bernie Higgins (who were awarded a Spark Ignite award by the HSE and Health Innovation Hub Ireland), RAPID will progress the design of this device to an advanced Technology Readiness Level (TRL). Working in collaboration with Dr Ciara White of DCU's School of Nursing, this collaborative team from nursing, engineering, and medical disciplines will create functional prototypes that will allow easier and more robust diagnostic urine sample capture. Improving diagnostic accuracy will reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing and is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the power of our wearable diagnostic devices.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect over 150 million people globally each year. Complex cases of infections account for an estimated €6 billion annual cost burden to the U.S. economy. The initial diagnostic step (i.e. obtaining a clean urine specimen during a patient's initial urine sample collection or “first-void”) remains the weakest link in the diagnostic journey. Practical challenges in ensuring accurate sample collection (particularly in infants, elderly adults and patients who do not precisely adhere to sampling instructions) remains a significant challenge to ensure accurate and uncontaminated samples appropriate for the often urgent need for rapid diagnosis. Wee-Catch-It was initially developed by Assistant Director of Nursing, Bernie Higgins to solve this issue. In 2022, the concept was awarded the HSE Spark Ignite Award for its potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient care.