Digital Point of Care Platform for Sepsis Screening & AMR Surveillance

Our adaptable, AI powered, on-the-go detection platform identify sepsis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in point-of-care settings and help doctors to take informed decision with better patient outcome. Our solution fills the gap and brings accessible & affordable healthcare to all while combatting antimicrobial resistance effectively especially crafted for low-resource settings.

Dr. Preeti NIgam Joshi, Founder & CEO FastSense Innovations

Graduated from IIT with exp of 19 years in the field of MEMS, Microfabrication, on-chip sensors, nanotechnology, nanamedicine.

• Sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection while AMR-the ability of microbes to resist the effects of medication, present a complex and intertwined threat to patient outcomes, healthcare systems, and public health on a global scale. Despite advances in medical science, sepsis continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Sepsis accounts for 20% global mortality annually.
•   Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in healthcare and agriculture have accelerated the development of resistant strains of bacteria, rendering once-effective treatments ineffective. The rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens limits treatment options, prolongs illnesses, increases healthcare costs, and poses a grave risk to patient safety.

Interconnected Challenge-Sepsis Managements & AMR

• The convergence of sepsis and AMR compounds the complexity of infectious disease management. Sepsis often necessitates the rapid administration of antibiotics, and the prevalence of AMR compromises the efficacy of these treatments. 
• This synergy not only jeopardizes patient outcomes but also places an immense burden on healthcare systems, exacerbating the challenge of delivering timely and effective care.

 Lack of accessible & affordable surveillance tools is major bottleneck in solving these problems. Coordinated efforts innovative solutions to safeguard patient well-being, uphold the efficacy of healthcare interventions, and fortify global public health resilience are needed.

FastSense collaborates within the B2B sector, focusing on healthcare providers like doctors, hospitals, path-labs, and primary care providers in remote areas. Despite scientific progress, accessible and affordable diagnostics remain elusive for many & Caregivers face challenges, particularly in cases like Sepsis, where a one-hour delay increases fatality chances by 9%, leading to ICU admissions, substantial treatment costs, and preventable patient fatalities. Delays primarily stem from

i. Time-consuming processes

ii. High cost and limited accessibility

iii. Certain diagnostic methods, especially those reliant on human interpretation, may suffer from subjectivity and variability among different practitioners. This variability can impact the consistency and reliability of diagnostic results.

iv. Resource intense solutions including skilled personnel, expensive equipment, and intricate infrastructure.

v. Inadequate Screening Programs

Sepsis-S, a transformative solution, provides cost-effective, on-the-spot diagnosis at the patient's location, boasting a 1/10th cost, <1-hour turnaround time as-compare-to-conventional-tests, and a minimally invasive approach. With real-time data sharing and integrated predictive models, 

Sepsis-S equips healthcare professionals with precise information for well-informed decisions. This facilitates timely treatments, potentially saving lives. Moreover, Sepsis-S serves as an ideal screening and surveillance solution, tracking Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and generating a mapping tool for informed decision-making and policy formulation to address this critical issue

A Point-of-Care (PoC) solution for Sepsis screening and AMR surveillance extends critical public good  by ensuring broader healthcare access, particularly for underserved populations. This inclusive approach addresses the deprivation of basic healthcare facilities faced by those at the bottom of the pyramid due to conventional analysis and high costs. Key impact aspects imclude:

1. Equitable Healthcare Access: Sepsis-S solutions bridge gaps by reaching underserved-populations, providing timely-sepsis screening and AMR-surveillance conventional methods are impractical or costly.

2. Reduced Health Disparities: By eliminating barriers to entry, Sepsis-S contribute to reducing-health-disparities, ensuring that even the most vulnerable populations receive timely and effective healthcare services.

3. Resource Optimization: Sepsis-S is designed for simplicity and cost-effectiveness, optimizing resource utilization in low-resource regions to minimize the burden on healthcare systems.

4. Preservation of Antibiotics: By precisely identifying the causative agents, Sepsis-S aids in avoiding unnecessary and ineffective antibiotic use, Helps in antibiotic stewardship, critical in regions where resources for developing new drugs are scarce.

5. Alignment with Global Health Initiatives: Implementing Sepsis-S for AMR surveillance and sepsis management, aligns with global health initiatives, including the World Health Organization's efforts to address infectious diseases in low-resource settings. It contributes to the overall strengthening of healthcare infrastructure in resource-poor regions.

Our innovative solution, Sepsis-S, is poised to deliver impactful changes, benefiting various stakeholders:

1. Patients: Sepsis-S ensures rapid and precise diagnosis, translating into swift and effective treatment. For individuals facing sepsis, this means heightened chances of recovery and improved overall well-being.

2. Healthcare Providers: Sepsis-S streamlines diagnostic processes, equipping healthcare professionals with actionable insights in lesser time. Beyond individual patient care, this efficiency enhances resource allocation, easing the burden on healthcare facilities.

3. Communities in Resource-Poor Settings: Sepsis-S portability and user-friendly design bring advanced diagnostic capabilities to underserved regions. It empowers local healthcare providers to combat sepsis and antimicrobial resistance effectively, fostering health improvements in these communities.

4. Global Health Initiatives: Sepsis-S aligns seamlessly with global endeavors and contributes to achieving overarching health goals set by influential organizations like the WHO, fostering international collaborations.

5. Public Health: Through early detection and AMR surveillance, Sepsis-S helps in preserving antibiotic efficacy; contributes in global battle against antimicrobial resistance, safeguarding public health on global scale.

Sepsis-S is not merely a technological advancement; it's a transformative force with the potential to elevate patient outcomes, empower healthcare providers, address health inequalities, and play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of global public health.

Scaling the impact of Sepsis-S over the next year and the next three years involves a systematic approach. Tentatively it revolves around: 

Next year

1. Regulatory : Securing regulatory approvals and certifications is the foundation for widespread adoption. 

2. Strategic Partnerships: Will collaborate with strategic partnerships with healthcare institutions, clinics, and NGOs to integrate Sepsis-S into existing healthcare-systems for faster-adoption.

3. User Training Programs: Develop and implement user-friendly training programs for healthcare professionals. 

4. Geographic Expansion: Tailor marketing efforts and distribution-strategies to specific-regions with high sepsis prevalence or limited healthcare-resources.

5. Public Awareness Campaigns: To educate communities  about the role of Sepsis-S to encourage demand from patients. 

Next Three Years:

1. Global Market Expansion: We will expand Sepsis-S into international markets, obtaining regulatory approvals in key-countries and adaptability  to meet diverse healthcare-infrastructures.

2. Diversification: Its a platform so new applications related medical fields to enhance its overall impact.

3. Cost Optimization: Will optimize the cost of production without compromising quality for accessibility to a wider range of healthcare facilities.

4. Long-Term Partnerships: We will cultivate long-term partnerships with global health-organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutions. 

5. Continuous Innovation: To keep Sepsis-S at the forefront of point-of-care diagnostics for sepsis and AMR surveillance.

Following indicators tells the success and impact for Sepsis-S:

Clinical Outcomes:

i. Reduction in sepsis-related mortality rates.

We  will track the mortality rates before and after the implementation of Sepsis-S in healthcare facilities to assess the reduction in sepsis-related deaths.

ii. Timeliness of Diagnosis: Decrease in the time taken for sepsis diagnosis.

We will measure the average time from the initial presentation of symptoms to the administration of targeted treatments. If implementation of Sepsis-S leads to reduction in diagnostic time will be the impact of our solution. 

iii. Antimicrobial Stewardship: Reduction in inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions.

The percentage of cases where antibiotics were prescribed appropriately based on the diagnostic results will indicate success of our solution. 

Accessibility and Inclusivity:

 The percentage increase in the screening of patients from resource-poor regions or vulnerable populations will indicate our impact.

Geographic Reach:

The number of new regions or facilities where Sepsis-S has been introduced is one of the success criteria.

 Patient Satisfaction: 

Positive feedback on the perceived effectiveness, ease of use, and overall satisfaction with Sepsis-S indicates our success

We-will regularly review and analyze this data to refine the solution and demonstrate its efficacy in improving sepsis management and AMR surveillance.

The prime challenges as deep-tech start up that we have include: 

Funding Challenges: Securing continuous funding, a vital necessity from development to commercialization, poses a significant hurdle for startups, especially deep-tech companies. The prevalent bottleneck in raising equity funding compounds the challenge, as government funds often fall short of covering the entire product journey. 

Addressing this, we are applying for fundings  and explore VC networks too. 

Market Volatility: Navigating the impact of volatile markets, particularly post-Covid, introduces uncertainties in pricing. The surge in raw material costs post-pandemic amplifies manufacturing expenses, emphasizing the need for stable vendor agreements with fixed pricing. 

Proactive measures to establish resilient supply chains and negotiation strategies needed to counter market fluctuations effectively.

Market Entry: Introducing disruptive and novel products faces challenges in market entry. However, with a robust network of distributors and market influencers while actively expanding  our network, we will facilitate successful market penetration.

Legal and Regulatory Landscape: Tackling legal and regulatory complexities across different territories demands the incorporation of dedicated resources. By strategically allocating resources we can effectively address regulatory issues and pave the way for smoother operations in various markets.

Solve's Global Challenge seeks exceptional innovators utilizing technology to address today's most urgent issues. Our innovative point-of-care, digitally enabled platform aligns seamlessly with Solve's focus areas, bridging the gap from illness to wellness, particularly designed for low-resource settings. By reducing the time for testing to analysis from 3-5 days to 1-2 hours, we alleviate the strain on healthcare facilities-boon for resource poor settings. Our solution addresses the critical issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), contributing to global efforts in mitigating AMR and fostering a healthier and happier world for current and future generations.

We believe that the support from The Trinity Challenge will be instrumental in overcoming challenges related to fundraising, regulatory hurdles, and risks. This backing will enable us to navigate seamlessly, bringing our solution to the market within the stipulated time frame. The Trinity Challenge not only helps us overcome the market entry barrier but also provides invaluable networking opportunities and mentoring, contributing to our long-term success.

With Trinity Challenge, we extend our invitation for you to join us in this noble mission of. As we are not developing just another diagnostics assay but a tool equipped with state on an art technologies, that will open the gate way for comprehensive health analysis on a single platform.  

We at FastSense envision the future where “Healthcare is a right, not a Privilege”

Lets embrace the future of sepsis and AMR with Sepsis-S, and let us propel progress toward a healthier, more sustainable world. Together, we can make a lasting impact.

We are looking forward for the support and at this stage we are open for collaborations and other opportunities to take our innovation to market, to the people its meant for.