Launched initially as PhenUTest Diagnostics, InnotiveDx aims to become a global leader in accurate, cost-effective diagnostics for urinary tract infections (UTIs). As we mark AMR Awareness Week, we reflect on the company’s remarkable journey, and potential to drive further advancements in the fight against AMR.
A growing threat and urgent need for speed
Each year UTIs affect over 400 million people globally and account for 22% of all antibiotic prescriptions. Despite this high prevalence, the standard diagnostic method - laboratory plate culture - takes over 48 hours, pushing clinicians to rely on empiric treatment (based on the best guess). This approach often leads to ineffective treatments and contributes to AMR, with over 12% of UTI patients experiencing treatment failure. UTI-related antibiotic misuse is a key driver of AMR, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlights as one of the most pressing global health threats of the century. InnotiveDx’s groundbreaking solution directly addresses this issue by providing precise results in under an hour.
From research to real-world impact
InnotiveDx, an award-winning company highlighted in Nature as a high-impact innovator, began its journey with an idea nurtured within the University of Liverpool. Dr Srijan Jindal, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, took an idea developed during his PhD and Post-Doc research with Professor Doug Kell at the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology.
The company was spun-out from the University in 2021 with support from the University’s Enterprise Team and the ICURe accelerator programme. Innovate UK funding was matched with £150k investment from the University’s Enterprise Investment Fund, enabling Dr Jindal and his team to develop InnotiveDx, a rapid point-of-care UTI diagnostic test that delivers results in just 60 minutes, vastly reducing the traditional 72-hour wait time.
Since its inception, InnotiveDx has grown rapidly and now has 20 employees combining extensive medical, technical, and business expertise.
InnotiveDx has performed validation testing on its benchtop laboratory assay with one of the largest diagnostic companies in the world, where it demonstrated over 96% agreement.
In July 2024, the company secured a successful £2.5 million equity investment in Series A Tranche 1, set to accelerate its innovation.
International success and regulatory milestones
As part of their continued growth, InnotiveDx conducted usability studies with nine potential end-users in Atlanta, Georgia, in September 2024, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback. Participants praised the system’s intuitive design and ease of integration into existing practices.
Will Wijnberg, InnotiveDx CEO said: “The need for fast, accurate and actionable point of care diagnostic systems is critical as we’re facing a crisis of complications and antimicrobial resistance. InnotiveDx, imagines a world where everyone has equal access to excellent diagnostics, and we can proactively counter antimicrobial resistance.”
Dr Carolyn Horrocks, Head of Medtech & Bioscience Enterprise, The Enterprise Team, University of Liverpool, said: “The University is delighted by the continuing success of our spin-out company InnotiveDx. With the support of significant investments and positive reception in clinical settings, InnotiveDx is poised to make a profound impact in the fight against AMR, both locally and globally.”
Watch Srijan’s Tedx on the threat of AMR here.
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