SmartBiotic is tackling the global problem of antibiotic resistance

Although partly natural, antibiotic resistance is accelerated by excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics (e.g., antibiotics used in the wrong context, antibiotic treatment interrupted before the prescribed period, use of antibiotics in the food industry, etc.).

The development of resistance to antibiotics is proportional to their degree of use. The more an antibiotic is used, the more likely it is that resistant bacteria will proliferate.

In 2019, antibiotic resistance was believed to be directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide.[2] Some projections suggest that the problem will get worse. It is estimated that by 2050, as many as 10 million deaths per year will be due to antibiotic resistance.[3] According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious threats to global health, food security and development today.[4]

With intercontinental travel and population shifts, the epidemiological situation in every country in the world is changing much more rapidly than it did 50 years ago. Therefore, first-line treatment guidelines must be constantly updated so that the physician can make an informed decision based on a situation as it arises and precisely where it arises.

Even with practice guidelines, the treatment of infections is often trial and error. Often, a diagnosis is made even before a bacterium is identified: culture and antimicrobial susceptibility test results often take 24 to 48 hours to arrive.

Main sources of information that a physician uses to make a diagnosis:

• Clinical examination: symptoms versus potential diagnoses
• Public institutions such as the LSPQ (Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec): Its mission is to compile all cases of resistant bacteria in Quebec and regularly notify hospitals so that they can adjust their detection techniques and therapeutic guidelines.

It goes without saying that the transmission of information from public institutions is not instantaneous. It is by definition not personalized and presented in a format that does not facilitate its immediate use at a patient’s bedside.

A report published by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) in September 2022 reveals that official recommendations are followed in less than 20% of cases for urinary tract infections.[5] In 2018, more than 5,000 deaths in Canada were directly attributable to antibiotic resistance, resulting in $1.4 billion in additional costs to the health care system.[6]

A small France-Quebec start-up is developing a tool that could help doctors choose the best antibiotic by providing them with all the information that applies to a situation in real time.

Dr. Mathieu Raad, founder of SmartBiotic, came up with the idea to develop this approach during numerous internships at hospitals in Madagascar and Martinique where, despite the presence of completely different bacteria, the first-line treatments were the same as those used in Paris![7]

The basic idea is simple: using artificial intelligence to evaluate the probability of a response to a range of antibiotics in a given situation based on information that is available but not very user-friendly at the time. And all this, ideally, in a simple and instantaneous manner with one tap on a smartphone. Dr. Oundali is currently developing research projects in collaboration with SmartBiotic to validate the usefulness of the app on a daily basis in Quebec.

SmartBiotic was one of the finalists of the second edition of Phase B, an initiative of Biron Health Group to showcase the full potential of health care innovators.