The Royal College of Nursing and the Longitude Prize at Nesta Challenges are hosting a one-day symposium with clinicians, nurses, health experts and professional bodies working in urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) together with international UTI diagnostic developers competing in the Longitude Prize. The symposium aims to build understanding of the type of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests required in the NHS and their clinical pathways for UTIs.

The Longitude Prize is an £8m challenge to identify novel, rapid, point-of-care diagnostics to reduce the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics. Currently there are 53 teams competing across 12 countries. Multiple teams are focused on developing novel diagnostics to tackle UTIs.

Test developers will present their new innovations for discussion and evaluation by an expert panel and attendees.

Any questions? Please contact us by email: longitude.prize@nesta.org.uk

Symposium Agenda

Morning Session: Overview of urinary tract infections (UTIs) Diagnosis in UK Clinical Practice

Clinicians working on the front-line of the NHS lay out the current clinical practice for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and the difficulties with diagnosis and treatment.

10.30 - 11.00 Registration and Refreshments

11.00 - 11.25 Opening Remarks

• Daniel Berman, Longitude Prize Lead to introduce Symposium Chair - Dr Oliver van Hecke, NIHR Clinical Lecturer, University of Oxford & practicing GP, Tower Hamlets, London

11.25 - 11.55 Patient experiences of UTIs

This session will explore presentation of UTIs in the UK clinic and shortcomings in the current pathways of care.

11.55 - 12.25 Microbiology and antibiotic resistance of UTI in the UK

This session will explore the microbiology of UTIs in the UK and uncover where there are the greatest issues with antibiotic resistance.

• Dr Annie Joseph, Consultant Microbiologist and Lead for Diagnostic and Antimicrobial Stewardship, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

12.25 - 13.15 Current diagnostic pathways for UTIs in the NHS

This session will address the multiple different clinical pathways for UTIs in the UK and highlight where diagnostic tests are currently used and where new tests could be integrated.

• Associate Professor Gail Hayward, GP researcher, University of Oxford and Deputy Director, NIHR Community Healthcare MedTech and IVD Cooperative
• Professor Peter Wilson, Consultant Microbiologist, University College London (UCL) Hospitals Foundation Trust
• Mr Marco Motta, Pharmaceutical Advisor, NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)
• Dr Dawne Garrett, Professional lead for older people and dementia care, Royal College of Nursing

13.15 - 14.00 Lunch and Networking

Exhibition of Longitude Prize prototypes

Afternoon Session: State-of-the-art for point-of-care (POC) UTI diagnostics

14.00 - 14.45 Panel discussion: What does good look like for point-of-care (POC) UTI diagnostics in the NHS?

This session will explore what clinicians are looking for from a point-of care diagnostic test both in terms of functionality and cost.

• Panel Moderator – Professor Till Bachmann, Longitude Prize Judging Panel

14:45 - 16.30 Longitude Prize Competitor Technology Showcase

In this session, competitors in the Longitude Prize will present their innovations for evaluation by attendees and the panel.

Introduction to session - Professor Till Bachmann, Longitude Prize Judging Panel

• Pitch 1: Astrego Diagnostics (Sweden), Longitude Prize Team
• Pitch 2: Module Innovations (India), Longitude Prize Team
• Pitch 3: ID Genomics (USA), Longitude Prize Team
• Pitch 4: 123 USW (UK), Longitude Prize Team

Comments from Panel & Audience

16.30 - 16.45 Closing remarks

• Symposium Chair - Dr Oliver van Hecke, NIHR Clinical Lecturer, University of Oxford & practicing GP, Tower Hamlets, London