This Chennai startup is building a device to help doctors choose the right antibiotic sooner

What happened

Chennai startup Attox is building the Bactolizer, a device that identifies the right antibiotic and dose in 30 minutes to two hours. When a patient arrives with a bacterial infection, doctors may have to choose an antibiotic before laboratory tests confirm which one will work.

A sensitivity test checks which antibiotic can kill the bacteria in a patient’s sample, but standard testing takes 24 to 48 hours. The first prescription, including the dose, therefore often relies on an assumption.

That has consequences beyond the first few days of treatment. Antibiotics taken when they are not needed, or in excess, contribute to antimicrobial resistance, making the drugs less effective against bacteria.