Results Published in Study Show MolecuLight Fluorescence Point-of-Care Imaging Detected Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (PA) in Wounds with a PPV of 93%

Study Reveals the Utility of Cyan Fluorescence to Reliably Predict Pseudomonas, a Bacterial Pathogen that Precludes Wound Healing and Often Evades Conventional Treatment Methods

Toronto, Canada – (March 2, 2021) MolecuLight Inc., the leader in point-of-care fluorescence imaging for point-of-care detection of wounds containing elevated bacterial loads, announced the publication of results from an independent, prospective clinical trial of 28 wounds in Diagnostics titled “Rapid Diagnosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Wounds with Point-of-Care Fluorescence Imaging”.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a common bacterial pathogen in chronic wounds known for its propensity to form biofilms and evade conventional treatment methods.  PA infection is a common occurrence in chronic wounds¹ and early detection of PA in wounds is critical to mitigate more severe wound outcomes. PA in wounds is associated with rapid wound deterioration², higher rates of skin graft failure³, and higher rates of sepsis⁴. Results from this clinician-directed study show that fluorescence imaging using the MolecuLight i:X^® can rapidly detect PA in chronic wounds. In the study, chronic wounds in which cyan was observed had tissue samples taken for culture analysis. Results of this analysis reveal that the cyan fluorescence detected in MolecuLight i:X images was predictive of PA in 93% of study wounds, yet less than 20% of the wounds exhibited the ‘classic’ symptoms of Pseudomonas.

“I see non-healing wounds every day and struggle because the cause is often unclear. The ability to screen patients’ wounds on the spot and differentiate wounds harbouring Pseudomonas is a substantial clinical advantage that enables me to adjust therapy immediately”, says Rose Raizman, the study’s author and wound care specialist at Scarborough Health Network, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. “The study’s findings and my clinical experience with the MolecuLight i:X suggest that cyan detected on fluorescence images can be used to reliably predict Pseudomonas at the point-of-care”.

The need for definitive methods to improve bacterial detection in wounds at point-of-care is indisputable, given that >80% of wounds with high bacterial loads are missed by routine assessment^6,7. The pathogenicity of PA and its propensity for biofilm formation^8-11 make its rapid detection critical. Clinical guidelines advise use of clinical signs and symptoms to aid in the early detection of PA⁵; however, these symptoms frequently fail to mount in infected wounds. Indeed, in this study, less than 20% of wounds that were positive for PA exhibited these symptoms. As such, clinicians may be missing the majority of wounds containing PA. This study illustrates how point-of-care fluorescence imaging, alongside assessment of clinical signs and symptoms of infection, may help to overcome these challenges. Fluorescence imaging potentially enhances detection of PA in wounds and also provides real-time information to wound care clinicians related to the efficacy of treatments targeted to eradicate PA.

This publication represents a significant addition to the growing body of clinical evidence on the utility of point-of-care fluorescence imaging for the detection of wounds containing bacteria.

¹de Oliveira, F.P et al, J. Wound Ostomy Cont. Nurs. 2017, 44, 528–535.
²Turner KH et al, PLoS Genet 2014
³Hogsberg T et al, PLoS One 2011
⁴McManus AT et al, Eur J Clin Microbiol 1985
⁵Mutluoglu, M. et al, Can. Med. Assoc. J. 2011, 183, E499.
⁶Le, L. et al,. Adv. Wound Care 2020.
⁷Reddy, M, JAMA 2012, 307, 605–611.
⁸Schaber, J.A. et al, Infect. Immun. 2007, 75, 3715–3721.
⁹Kamali, E et al., BMC Res. Notes 2020, 13, 27.
¹⁰Drenkard, E. et al, Nature 2002, 416, 740–743,
¹¹Aloush, V. et al, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2006, 50, 43–48.

About MolecuLight Inc.

MolecuLight Inc. is a privately-owned medical imaging company that has developed and is commercializing its proprietary fluorescent imaging platform technology in multiple clinical markets. MolecuLight’s first commercially released device, the MolecuLight i:X fluorescence imaging system and its accessories provide a point-of-care handheld imaging device for the global wound care market for the detection of wounds containing elevated bacterial burden (when used with clinical signs and symptoms) and for digital wound measurement. The company is also commercializing its unique fluorescence imaging platform technology for other markets with globally relevant, unmet needs including food safety, consumer cosmetics and other key industrial markets.

For more information, contact: