Genedrive testing kit to be rolled-out to more NHS hospitals

Manchester molecular testing business, Genedrive, has been given the go-ahead for its latest piece of kit to be rolled out to two further hospital sites in the North West NHS.

It follows the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) final recommendation last month for the use of the Genedrive MT-RNR1 ID test in the NHS – England and Wales – which is due towards the end of this month.

The kit can quickly and accurately identify babies with the primary genetic variant who may be at risk of hearing loss if given aminoglycoside antibiotics. There is currently no test available in the NHS that provides results quickly enough to inform decisions on antibiotic prescribing in emergency care.

The long-term savings to the NHS associated with hearing loss and fitting cochlear implants could be substantial. Aminoglycoside-induced hearing loss has a major negative impact on the quality of life of children and their families.

The Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC) Women and Children Domain, part of Health Innovation Manchester (HInM) are supporting and project managing the further roll out of the kit across Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

The company continues to work alongside HInM on specific plans for the roll-out across an additional five neonatal sites in Greater Manchester. Once fully subscribed at this regional level, the test would be available when needed to circa 30,000 newborns over the next NHS fiscal year, of which 10-12% are modelled to be admitted to a regional neonatal unit.

MAHSC is one of eight national centres designated by NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research for demonstrating excellence in patient care and driving innovation into the health service.

Dr Ajit Mahaveer, Clinical Head of Division – Newborn Services, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) said: “The Genedrive MT-RNR1 test was piloted here at MFT. This initiative will allow us to expand testing to the neonatal units at North Manchester General Hospital and Wythenshawe Hospital. We are also intending to work with NICE on ongoing data collection to support the long term recommendations for the product.”

Jonathan Massey, Programme Director for Academia at Health Innovation Manchester, said: “The Genedrive MT-RNR1 test was developed alongside our NHS partners and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. This programme will support its wider adoption across the city region, ensuring that the work done to date will translate to better and equitable patient outcomes, wherever a child is treated in Greater Manchester.”

David Budd, Genedrive CEO, said: “While we work with clinicians and implementers nationally on a Trust by Trust basis, near-term roll outs such as this one in Greater Manchester will benefit from additional coordination and support.

“We are grateful for the engagement from HInM and MFT, which will be an example for future regional roll outs elsewhere in the country. It’s an important milestone for the company as we work to ensuring every newborn has access to the Genedrive MT-RNR1 ID test when needed.”