Day Zero Diagnostics Welcomes Molecular Diagnostics Experts to its Advisory Board

Dr. Amy Mathers and Rob Crisp Bring Extensive Academic and Industry Experience

BOSTON, Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Day Zero Diagnostics Inc., an infectious disease diagnostics company utilizing genome sequencing and machine learning to combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced the addition of Dr. Amy Mathers and Rob Crisp to the company's Advisory Board.

"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Amy Mathers and Rob Crisp to the Day Zero Diagnostics Advisory Board. They both bring important perspectives and expertise to our company as we advance our genome sequencing-based diagnostic technology," said Jong Lee, co-founder and CEO of Day Zero Diagnostics. "With the recent launch of our CLIA Day Zero Lab Services and the ongoing development of our sequencing-based platform, DZD is poised to revolutionize infectious disease diagnosis by reducing the time to diagnosis of severe infections from days to hours."  

Dr. Amy Mathers is Associate Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Associate Director of Clinical Microbiology and Medical Director Antimicrobial Stewardship at The University of Virginia Medical School, Department of Pathology. Dr. Mathers' research includes use of whole genome sequencing to explore the molecular epidemiology of mobile genetic elements associated with genes of drug resistance, clinical microbiology detection of carbapenem resistance and use of rapid diagnostics to inform antibiotic stewardship.

"I'm impressed with Day Zero Diagnostics' sequencing-based rapid diagnostic technology that shortens the traditional wait time of a culture. There is currently tremendous need for rapid, accurate and precise diagnosis of infections in hospitals to get patients on the right treatment quickly. DZD's approach holds promise in transforming infectious disease diagnosis and reducing antibiotic overuse," said Dr. Mathers.

Rob Crisp is a molecular biologist and experienced leader with expertise driving the development of novel in-vitro diagnostic devices. Mr. Crisp is currently Vice President, Research and Development at Molecular Designs, a team of doctors and scientists working to advance molecular diagnostics. Before that, he spent 11 years at bioMérieux (previously BioFire Diagnostics, LLC), advancing to the position of Senior Vice President, Microbiology, R&D and Projects.

"Day Zero Diagnostics' novel sample preparation technologies allow for an unprecedented ability to sequence the genomes of pathogens directly from clinical samples. I look forward to working with the DZD team and members of the Advisory Board to support the company's work developing its game-changing infectious disease diagnostic platform,'' Mr. Crisp notes.

Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global crisis, where the spread of drug resistance is outpacing the development of new antibiotics.

Infections due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria are more dangerous for patients and more difficult and expensive to treat. They often require extended hospital stays, additional follow-up doctor visits, and more costly and toxic alternative treatments.

As drug-resistant bacteria become more common, so will deaths from life-threatening infections like sepsis, which is the body's unregulated immune response to a severe bloodstream infection. A study in the Lancet estimates that in 2019, 1.27 million deaths were attributable to bacterial antimicrobial resistance and a 2016 review of antimicrobial resistance estimated that as many as 10 million deaths annually would be caused by antimicrobial resistance by 2050. 

Early and effective treatment of antibiotic resistant infections has been proven to save lives. However, current technologies cannot provide actionable information quickly enough to enable early, targeted antibiotic treatment.

Day Zero Diagnostics, Inc., based in Boston, is pioneering a new class of infectious disease diagnostics using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and machine learning to revolutionize how the world fights the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. The company's mission is to change the way infectious diseases are diagnosed and treated by rapidly identifying both the species and the antibiotic resistance profile of severe infections from a blood sample, without the need for a culture. In 2022, the company launched its WGS-based Day Zero Lab Services, leveraging its proprietary technologies and highly curated databases of pathogens for managing healthcare-associated infection outbreaks and making high-impact clinical decisions. Day Zero Diagnostics was founded in 2016 by a team of clinicians and scientists from Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. The company has been recognized as a leading innovator by CARB-X, UCSF Health, American Association of Clinical Chemistry, MedTech Innovator, TedMed Hive, Xconomy, HealthTech Arkansas, and MassChallenge HealthTech. To learn more visit our website and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media contact:

Helen Shik
Shik Communications
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617-510-4373

SOURCE Day Zero Diagnostics, Inc.