Genedrive PLC (AIM:GDR) shares rose 3% to 1p on Tuesday, taking their gains to 300% over the past month, after the company announced its genetic test for antibiotic-induced hearing loss has been adopted by Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital.
The hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit has begun using the Genedrive MT-RNR1 ID Kit, which screens newborns for a genetic mutation that can cause permanent hearing loss if they are treated with the common antibiotic gentamicin.
Rotunda, which admits around 1,400 babies each year, is the first hospital outside the UK to introduce the test.
The project is funded by the Rotunda Foundation under its Early Identification of Susceptibility to Gentamicin Induced Hearing Loss initiative and led by Professor Brian Cleary, who has personal experience of hearing loss.
Chief executive Dr Gino Miele said the rollout “further validates the product–market fit” of Genedrive’s MT-RNR1 test and marks an important step in international adoption.
The kit is already in use at 14 hospitals across the UK through the PALOH-UK programme and is part of the NHS England framework for pharmacogenetic testing.
Professor Cleary said bedside testing offers “a fast and effective way to identify babies at risk,” while consultant neonatologist Professor Breda Hayes called it “a fantastic addition” to neonatal care that reduces the risk of gentamicin-related hearing damage.
The latest hospital deployment underscores Genedrive’s growing traction as pharmacogenetic testing becomes more integrated into routine clinical practice.