# The Genie II System to Support VetLIRN Investigations

> **NIH FDA U18** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $18,027

## Abstract

CDC has declared the complex problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in
bacteria a serious public health threat. 1 Aggressive action is needed to prevent the
spread of AMR bacteria and surveillance is necessary to detect new resistance
mechanisms. To combat AMR, the CDC has identified 4 core actions: Preventing
Infections and the Spread of Resistance, Disease Surveillance, Antibiotic Stewardship
and Development of New Diagnostics, all of which can be addressed through rapid
molecular diagnostics.
 In 2012, FDA announced the Cooperative Agreement PA-12-194 CVM Vet-LRN
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Program - (U18). The program has been an
unqualified success, as highlighted in the recent FVM Research Impact: Advancing
Public Health through Regulatory Science publication.2 The VetLIRN program was
highlighted as advancing public health and as an integral part of the team working to
slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of resistant infections.
 The emergence of Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in companion
animal veterinary medicine was inevitable – and yet we were, and are, completely
unprepared. CRE are regarded by the CDC as an urgent public health threat because
they are not only carbapenem resistant but are resistant to most other antibiotic classes.
To date there have been a few sporadic reports of CRE from dogs.3-10 Although the
prevalence of CRE has risen significantly in human healthcare settings over the past
few years we currently have no data on the community population prevalence of CRE
colonization in dogs and cats. VetLIRN has created a Veterinary Antimicrobial Working
Group (VAWG) to navigate the complex issues associated with the isolation of these
organisms from animals.
 The purchase of a Genie II System would very effectively increase our capacity to be
fully engaged with the VetLIRN AST and VAWG projects and begin the development of
isothermal amplification assays to rapidly detect CRE/CPOs at the point of care. The
Genie II System will also be used in Vet-LIRN investigations as assays have already
been developed for other pathogens such as Salmonella. Case investigations frequently
include pathogen detection, identification, and characterization of antibiotic resistance of
clinical isolates.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10144864
- **Project number:** 1U18FD006985-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** SHELLEY CATHERINE RANKIN
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $18,027
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10144864

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10144864, The Genie II System to Support VetLIRN Investigations (1U18FD006985-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10144864. Licensed CC0.

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