Ondine Biomedical and Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation Announce Major Research Milestone: First-of-its-Kind ICU Study Accepted by ‘Journal of Critical Care’

Ondine Biomedical Inc. (“Ondine”) and Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation (“RCHF”) are pleased to announce that the pilot study evaluating nasal photodisinfection in an intensive care unit (“ICU”) setting has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Critical Care, a leading peer-reviewed journal in intensive care medicine.

The manuscript, titled “Suppression of Microbial Burden to Reduce Pneumonia in Critical Illness: the SMURF Feasibility Pilot Study,” reports on the first-ever deployment of nasal photodisinfection therapy in critically ill patients. The study was conducted by RCHF’s Advancing Innovation in Medicine (“AIM”) Research Team, with support from Royal Columbian Hospital clinical staff.

This study represents an early clinical evaluation of nasal photodisinfection in the ICU, extending its application beyond surgical settings. The findings contribute to a growing body of evidence supporting this non-antibiotic approach to reducing microbial burden in high-risk patient populations.

Carolyn Cross, CEO, Ondine Biomedical stated:

“We are grateful to the AIM research team and clinical staff for their tremendous support, and in particular to Dr. Steven Reynolds, Dr. Elizabeth Rohrs and Jessica Wittmann for their invaluable expertise and commitment. We would also like to acknowledge Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, and the support of Ralph Turfus and the Foundation’s President & CEO Jeff Norris, who helped establish the funding and innovation infrastructure that made this work possible.

“Evaluating nasal photodisinfection in a critical care setting represents an important step in extending its use beyond surgical applications. Infection remains a significant risk for critically ill patients, particularly in the context of rising antimicrobial resistance, and approaches that can reduce microbial burden without relying on antibiotics may play an important role in supporting patient safety in the ICU.”

Hospitals today are confronted by a dual challenge: the diminishing effectiveness of standard antibiotic treatments due to rising resistance among common pathogens, and ongoing capacity constraints driven in part by healthcare-associated infections (“HAIs”), which contribute to prolonged ICU stays and increased resource utilisation. By evaluating a non-antibiotic approach to reducing microbial burden, the AIM team is exploring a strategy to address a root cause of these infections before they develop, with the potential to support improved patient flow and more efficient use of critical care resources.

The full findings of the study, including additional clinical and economic analyses, are expected to be available following online publication in the Journal of Critical Care.