Even if a problem seems very obvious and simple, solutions are not always readily available. This is a challenge that the team behind Specifix Dx has consistently faced as they try to improve the accuracy of diagnostic tools for people at risk of mortality from Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs).

Specifix Dx is a startup created by Translational Research Program (TRP) students Jessica Jenkins, Siobhan Wilson, and Jaspreet Randhawa. Their aim is to improve clinical and at-home rapid testing of UTIs for people with Neurogenic Bladder, a condition that affects people who lack bladder control due to brain, spinal cord, or nerve problems. People with Neurogenic Bladder often experience recurrent UTIs and can’t always differentiate between UTI symptoms versus those from a cold or flu. Additionally, current at-home rapid tests often return false positives because they don’t account for urobiome differences that occur in individuals with Neurogenic Bladder.

“UTIs can actually be quite deadly, and there are not many reliable detection tools that work for every population,” notes Wilson.

“The deadly aspect of it is antibiotic resistance” adds Jenkins, “there’s a number of populations including people with spinal cord injury that are affected by antibiotic resistance and infections that lead to mortality. We’ve figured out that in part the reason why people develop antibiotic resistance is because of unnecessary antibiotic exposure which is exasperated by inadequate UTI detection tools”.

The inspiration for Specifix Dx began in a typical TRP fashion – by asking questions to people with lived experience.

“It started with my grandfather who passed away from a Urinary Tract Infection” reflects Siobhan Wilson. “UTIs present themselves so differently in different populations, so for a younger, able-bodied person it might present as burning with urination, but for older adults it can present itself as delirium, which is often mistaken for Alzheimer’s or Dementia. UTIs are very common so you would think they would be easily diagnosed, but there just aren’t tools that work reliably across these different populations.”