The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released plans to hold a contest to develop new, innovative laboratory diagnostic tools that detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The contest, called the Antimicrobial Resistance Diagnostic Challenge, will award prizes totaling $20 million over all phases of the competition. The submitted tests should be able to identify and characterize antibiotic-resistant bacteria and those that distinguish between viral and bacterial infections to reduce unnecessary uses of antibiotics.
The prizes will be funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NIH, and the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to support the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.
“The growing incidence of serious infections from antibiotic resistant bacteria presents a critical risk to the public health of our nation,” Francis S. Collins, director of NIH, said. “My hope is that this competition will spur exceptional innovators to rise to the challenge and deliver effective tools to help manage this significant problem.”
Participants must submit their tests for the first phase of the competition by Jan. 9. Up to 20 semifinalists will be selected after Phase 1, receiving up to $50,000 each. The submission period for the second phase of the competition concludes on Dec. 18, 2018, with up to 10 finalists selected, with each receiving up to a total of $100,000.
Winners of the contest will be announced on Jan. 31, 2020, with up to three participants sharing an amount equal to or greater than $18 million.