De-risking a rapid UTI diagnostic platform for point-of-care use
Services
- Design engineering
- Simulation and analysis
- Electronics Engineering
- Ergonomic design
- Project management
- Custom solutions
- Performance testing
- Process design
- Compliance testing
- Rapid prototyping
- Software development
- Interface design
- Aesthetic refinement
- 3D modelling
- Aesthetic models
- Batch production and assembly
- Innovation workshops
- Optical integration
- User experience (UX) analysis
- Functional prototyping
- Concept generation
- User testing
- Product strategy development
Sector
- medical
Client
Website
https://www.innotivedx.com/InnotiveDx is developing a new generation of rapid diagnostic device aimed at improving the detection and treatment of urinary tract infections. Traditional microbiological testing often requires culturing bacteria in laboratories, meaning clinicians can wait several days before determining the most effective antibiotic treatment.
The technology focuses on capturing bacteria directly from urine samples and analysing their behaviour in the presence of antibiotics. By combining advanced imaging with algorithm‑driven analysis, the system will rapidly determine antimicrobial susceptibility and provide actionable results much sooner.
InnotiveDX partnered with OPD to help translate this emerging science into a practical diagnostic platform.
Turning laboratory microbiology techniques into a reliable diagnostic device required solving several complex engineering challenges. The system needed to integrate bacterial capture, controlled growth conditions, imaging technologies and analytical algorithms into a single workflow.
At the same time, the architecture needed to remain flexible enough to support evolving assays and diagnostic methods as the underlying science developed.
From promising science to a real product pathway
Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections, yet traditional microbiology workflows often require 24-72 hours to confirm the pathogen and determine the most effective antibiotic treatment. This delay frequently leads to empirical prescribing of broad-spectrum antibiotics while clinicians wait for laboratory results, building resistance against these treatments. The patient is also left in discomfort, or real health risk, in the event the broad-spectrum treatments are not effective.
The concept behind InnotiveDx’s technology involves capturing bacteria directly from urine samples and analysing their behaviour under antibiotic exposure. Translating this approach into a functional diagnostic system required combining microbiology, microfluidics, imaging and algorithmic analysis in a tightly controlled environment.
From an engineering perspective, the challenge sat at the intersection of optics, microfluidics, consumable design and automated analysis. Each subsystem needed to work reliably together to enable consistent bacterial observation and accurate interpretation of susceptibility data.
At the same time, the system architecture needed to remain flexible. As the underlying assay science evolved, the engineering platform had to support new workflows and diagnostic capabilities without requiring fundamental redesign.
Alongside the technical challenges, the programme also needed to support the company’s commercial trajectory. Early prototypes needed to demonstrate credible progress, reduce technical uncertainty and help build confidence among investors and strategic partners.
OPD worked closely with the InnotiveDx team to translate the core microbiology concepts into an integrated engineering system. Our focus was on developing a modular architecture that could support bacterial capture, imaging and analysis while allowing rapid iteration of scientific workflows.
By applying our New Product Science™ processes and breaking the system into discrete modules - including fluid handling, imaging alignment and data processing - we enabled parallel development of the biological and engineering aspects of the platform.
Consumable, Instrument Architecture and Workflow
The team developed the consumable, instrument architecture and workflow in parallel, ensuring that scientific insight and engineering progress continually informed one another.
The consumable became the foundation for reliable diagnostic performance, and early iterations focused on enabling the rapid experimentation in the science team. From the first single in/single out cartridge through to the multi chamber pressure fill design, OPD ensured bacteria could be immobilised consistently and imaged with high clarity. The evolution of the consumable allowed InnotiveDx to generate meaningful assay data sooner, while setting up a manufacturable path for later-scale production.
In tandem, OPD developed the instrument architecture that would support the entire diagnostic workflow. Custom imaging optics, precision positioning, thermal control, automated illumination and pressure driven fluidics were integrated into a platform designed for stability and repeatability. Each subsystem was prototyped using dedicated rigs that helped the team understand behaviour, test hypotheses and remove technical risks before combining everything into a unified pre alpha instrument. This method ensured that most uncertainties had already been resolved before the subsystems were integrated.
Industrial design and human factors were embedded early so that the emerging system aligned with the needs of real world users. Looks like prototypes enabled clinicians to test the intended workflow, providing evidence that the instrument could be operated confidently in a point of care setting. This informed decisions around form, usability and step by step interactions long before the final product development phases.
Together, these activities created a rapid, feedback driven development loop. Every prototype and test cycle reduced risk and moved the platform closer to commercial reality, ensuring that the scientific, engineering and usability requirements converged into a system that was both technically robust and practical for frontline healthcare environments.
The collaboration helped move the technology towards a deployable diagnostic platform capable of supporting rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The system architecture provides a foundation for future assay development and continued platform evolution.
InnotiveDx have been working with OPD on the development of a Point of Care system for bacterial detection, identification and AST. They have provided great support from the early concept phase onwards to help build our product vision and overall system architecture. They have shown excellent flexibility and technical breadth to tackle technical challenges from a risk-based perspective, while also ensuring that we remain user-focussed in what we develop.
On-the-spot diagnostics
The collaboration delivered a diagnostic platform that demonstrated, for the first time, that InnotiveDx’s scientific concept could function reliably inside an engineered system.
By stabilising the consumable, establishing optical clarity and repeatability, and validating pressure driven filling, OPD showed that the single cell assay could be executed in a structured, automated device - an essential milestone in proving the feasibility of the technology.
The resulting system architecture now provides a clear, scalable pathway toward design verification, manufacturing transfer and eventual clinical deployment. By using a modular engineering approach, OPD ensured the platform can be extended to future assays, new workflow variations and additional diagnostic menus without fundamental redesign.
Human factors studies using looks like prototypes confirmed that the system could be comfortably operated in primary care settings. Clinicians responded positively to the workflow simplicity and the intuitive design, demonstrating that the engineering decisions made earlier in the project directly supported real-world usability.
Alongside these technical achievements, the programme produced a suite of development prototypes and evidence sets - rigs, subsystem demonstrations, integrated performance, and data - that strengthened InnotiveDx’s commercial engagements. These outputs helped articulate a compelling product story that connects scientific innovation with practical engineering and end user needs. The platform now stands as a coherent, credible and scalable system that can progress toward clinical pilots and ultimately support InnotiveDx’s broader commercial ambitions.
We approached the programme by breaking the core scientific challenge into a series of focused engineering questions, then building targeted rigs to generate evidence quickly. That allowed us to reduce both technical and commercial risk early, while giving the team a clear and credible route towards a deployable diagnostic platform.
