Astek Diagnostics


Astek Diagnostics is a precision diagnostics company dedicated to developing rapid, point-of-care infection detection and antibiotic sensitivity testing solutions. Their flagship product, the Jiddu Platform, aims to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections across multiple sample types, including urine, CSF, effluent, and blood. The company is focused on bringing a highly accurate, one-hour UTI diagnostic test to market in 2025, supported by collaborations with leading healthcare institutions, grants, and strategic partnerships. Their mission is to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and combat antimicrobial resistance through innovative diagnostic technology.

Industries

health-care
health-diagnostics
medical-device

Nr. of Employees

small (1-50)

Astek Diagnostics

1450 S Rolling Road, Halethorpe, MD 21227


Products

Benchtop point-of-care analyzer with disposable microfluidic cartridges for rapid AST

A benchtop diagnostic system that processes biofluid samples via disposable microfluidic cartridges, isolates bacteria, performs short-term microculture with antibiotic exposures, and reports infection status and antibiotic susceptibility indications in about one hour.


Services

Design and conduct of blinded pilot and feasibility studies in collaboration with hospitals and research institutes to compare rapid AST platform outputs against laboratory culture and sensitivity results.

Provision of analyzer units and cartridges to strategic clinical partners under early access agreements to collect deployment and performance data prior to regulatory clearance.

Application of machine learning and LLM-based tools to accelerate microfluidic device design iterations and reduce manufacturing cycle time and cost.

Expertise Areas

  • Point-of-care diagnostic development
  • Rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST)
  • Microfluidics design and cartridge development
  • Fluorescence-based metabolic assay development
  • Show More (4)

Key Technologies

  • Microfluidic cartridge-based sample processing
  • Fluorescence metabolic viability assay (resazurin/resorufin chemistry)
  • Benchtop point-of-care analyzer hardware
  • Single-excitation/single-emission fluorometry
  • Show More (3)

News & Updates

Astek Diagnostics was recognized as one of Maryland’s top startup businesses for 2025, highlighting its innovative approach to rapid diagnostics for UTIs and other infections.

The company successfully completed its alpha feasibility study, validating the performance of its Jiddu platform in urine sample testing with high accuracy.

Dr. Groah, an expert in urinary tract infections and neurogenic bladder, joins Astek Diagnostics to oversee clinical strategy and support product development.

The company had a positive pre-submission meeting with the FDA, focusing on clinical trials for the Jiddu platform, especially for catheter-associated UTIs.

Astek Diagnostics plans to launch a rapid, optical-based UTI test system by late 2025, capable of delivering results within an hour.

The company received a $991,832 NSF SBIR grant to expand its rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing to include CSF and wound effluent.

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