June 16, 2026- The Fleming Initiative, a partnership established by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and Cepheid announced the launch of TRACE-CPE, a two-and-a-half-year research study to improve testing for AMR, one of the greatest global health challenges.
This real-world study evaluates how rapid molecular screening for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) can improve infection prevention and control, support effective use of NHS resources and service delivery, protect patients and help inform national screening policy. The study will be at two of the hospitals run by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, two of the largest NHS Trusts in England.
The TRACE-CPE study is delivered through a partnership between the Fleming Initiative and Cepheid, first announced in September 2024 at an event aligned with the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR. Cepheid joined the Initiative as its first diagnostics partner, with a substantial, long-term commitment to collaborative scientific and clinical research as well as policy development and advocacy. This is aimed at strengthening and expanding the use of diagnostics in antimicrobial stewardship and the control of resistant infections. CPE is one of the most urgent threats in the AMR crisis, one of the greatest health challenges of our time. CPE is a bacteria resistant to most antibiotics, including the carbapenems used as a last-resort treatment for serious infections, and classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a critical-priority pathogen.