Arthur D. Little Awarded Contract to Speed Detection of Infectious Diseases.

Business Editors and Health/Medical Writers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 28, 2002

Arthur D. Little, one of the world's premier management and technology consulting firms, has been awarded a contract by Acolyte Biomedica to develop an ultra-rapid automated system to detect highly infectious diseases within a few hours.

"This instrument will revolutionize the treatment of serious infectious diseases," said Dr Bill Mullen, Acolyte's Business Development Director. "Doctors will be able to prescribe the right treatment within hours of a patient entering their office."

According to Acolyte Biomedica, infectious diseases such as meningitis, pneumonia and tuberculosis are responsible for one quarter of all deaths worldwide, second only to cardiovascular disease. Currently patients must wait several days before a bacterial infection is diagnosed. During that time they are often given broadspectrum antibiotics in an attempt to treat the infection, ultimately building up the bacteria's resistance to the prescribed antibiotics.

The new detection system is being developed by Arthur D. Little's European technology arm, Cambridge Consultants Limited (CCL) and will be complete next year. CCL experts will be utilizing three technology elements-advanced bioluminescent detection technology, immuno magnetic extraction technology, and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) - to create an automated system that rapidly diagnoses bacterial infections and assesses their susceptibility to select antibiotics within hours.

According to Mullen, Acolyte awarded Arthur D. Little the contract because of the company's extensive experience developing complex automated medical systems and its ability to rapidly produce prototypes.

"Developing an automated system for bacterial detection that can determine bacterial susceptibility to a range of antibiotics is overdue," said Chris Hammond, head of CCL's healthcare engineering. "People cannot afford to wait days or even several hours for the proper diagnosis. This system will allow doctors to treat patients quickly and with the appropriate antibiotic - the first time around."

Arthur D. Little is one of the world's premier technology and consulting firms working at the interface of business and the technologies that drive innovation and growth. Drawing on its unique blend of knowledge and hands-on experience across global industries, the firm collaborates with its clients to develop significant breakthroughs in practices, products, and processes that lead to dramatic growth and the creation of new value. Cambridge Consultants Limited (CCL) is the European technology centre for Arthur D. Little, headquartered in Cambridge, England. With a team of more than 300 engineers and scientists, CCL develops solutions across a diverse range of industries including healthcare, telecommunications, industrial and consumer products, automotive and aerospace.

Acolyte Biomedica Limited (ABL) has been established as a joint venture between Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and ANGLE Technology to develop and commercialize a technology for ultra-rapid diagnosis of bacterial infection. The technology also allows for simultaneous identification of which antibiotics should be used to treat the infection.

ABL has developed this new diagnostic system through integrating a combination of novel technologies that have been developed over a ten-year period by Dstl and its licensors.