Meet the Member Interview with Danuta Cichocka from Resistell

The 5th Floor is an international collaborative pro-work space where members are able to enjoy international collaboration benefits in our 5th Floor locations and connections throughout the world. We would like to introduce you to Switzerland member, Danuta Cichocka.

1. How did Resistell come about?

We created Resistell to develop a test to help physicians around the world to find the right antibiotic in time. We also want to contribute to the fight against Antimicrobial Resistance.

2. Could you give us a short overview of Resistell?

Resistell proposes an alternative to current antibiotic susceptibility tests (AST) which are also known as antibiograms. Currently, phenotypic ASTs take up to several days, which is too late for the evidence based decision making. Resistell is able to deliver AST results within a few hours, based on measurement of vibrations of living bacteria using micromechanical sensors. As this cutting-edge technology does not rely on bacterial growth, patients can be treated with the optimal medication from day one.

3. What makes Resistell future-oriented?

Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was already one of the biggest global health challenges. In many countries, patients hospitalized with COVID-19 receive antimicrobial therapies as part of the standard clinical care package. Excessive and arbitrary use of these powerful medicines triggers the development of multidrug resistance. This leads to higher costs for the healthcare system and more deaths due to resistance of bacteria.

4. Resistell is a company founded and based in Basel. What do you particularly appreciate about this region?

The region offers excellent infrastructure, access to an excellent talent pool and global industry.