Harnessing Maryland’s Ecosystem for Success: Mustafa Al-Adhami's Path to Disrupting Diagnostic Testing

In this interview at the TEDCO Entrepreneur Expo in Baltimore, Chris Frew, CEO of BioBuzz Networks, sat down with Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, the founder and CEO of Astek Diagnostics. Mustafa shared the catalyst behind Astek Diagnostics – a personal experience with his grandfather's misdiagnosed urinary tract infection that inspired the creation of a one-hour antibiotic sensitivity test. This innovation aims to replace the current three-day waiting period for culture tests, significantly improving patient outcomes by accurately prescribing antibiotics within an hour. Mustafa also emphasized the integral role TEDCO played in his transformation from a scientist to a startup founder, providing not just funding but also essential guidance and resources through various programs like the SBIR proposal lab and the MII award.

Furthermore, Mustafa discussed how the supportive ecosystem in Maryland, rich with resources like top universities and favorable state programs, has been conducive to Astek's growth. As a graduate of UMBC and a Maryland resident, he appreciates the strong network of experts and investors that enhance the entrepreneurial landscape. Mustafa highlighted Astek's recent achievements, including an alpha product in hospitals demonstrating over 90% accuracy. Currently, Astek is raising $15 million, confident in securing market entry with contracts worth $30 million. Mustafa remains open to partnerships and expertise to further propel the company’s advancements in the diagnostic field.

About Mustafa

Mustafa Al-Adhami is the co-founder and CEO of Astek Diagnostics. He has a PhD in mechanical engineering with a focus on blood hemodynamics. Mustafa's background in research and his personal experience with his grandfather's illness inspired him to develop a rapid antibiotic sensitivity test. He is passionate about addressing the problem of antibiotic resistance and improving patient outcomes. Mustafa has navigated the challenges of building a healthcare startup, including raising funding, conducting clinical trials, and navigating regulatory processes. He believes in surrounding himself with experienced advisors and investors who can provide guidance and support.

About the TEDCO Expo 

The TEDCO Expo is a premier event in Maryland showcasing various resources from across the State and is jam-packed full of workshops, roundtable discussions, exhibiting companies and pitches, opening up great opportunities for entrepreneurs to network, learn, and be inspired. Learn more at: https://www.tedcomd.com/tedcos-2024-entrepreneur-expo.

Watch the full interview or dig in with the transcript below. 

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:00:04]:
Welcome to TEDCO's Entrepreneur Expo in downtown Baltimore, where the region's top business owners, innovators and investors have gathered to network, grow and celebrate the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Maryland. I'm Chris Frew with BioBuzz Networks and I'm buzzing today with Mustafa Al-Adhami, founder and CEO of Astek Diagnostics. Mustafa, welcome. Could you take a second to introduce yourself and your company?

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:00:29]:
Thank you for having me. My name is Mustafa. I am the CEO and founder of Astek Diagnostics. About three and a half years ago, my grandfather had a urinary tract infection. Uti and what was supposed to be easy fix, just give him antibiotic. It took doctors four days to tell him what antibiotic he should be taking. In the meantime, he was in pain, he was delirious, he ended up falling, breaking his hip. And I just watched him go from a young 87 year old to a much, much older one.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:00:59]:
And all because the guess that the physicians had to make on his antibiotic treatment was not correct. And that is why at Astek Diagnostics, we're developing a one hour antibiotic sensitivity test. So directly from the patient's sample we know if there is a UTI and then what the best antibiotic to treat the uti.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:01:17]:
But that's incredible. I love, you know, I talk to founders a lot and so many times it stems from a personal challenge they're facing. So I commend you on, on that. What's the current treatment? You're developing a one hour turnaround. What is the current?

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:01:35]:
Right. So like let's say you're showing symptoms of a uti. You go to the physician and they look at your symptoms and then it's like, okay, it looks like you have a UTI and so they take out some urine, send it out for, for a culture. The culture takes about two to three days and that will inform if there is UTI and then the sensitivity. So what antibiotic is actually killing the bacteria? The problem is you don't want to wait three days before you treat the patient. So you have to give them some antibiotics up front. Hopefully these antibiotics will work. And half the time these antibiotics don't work.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:02:08]:
And that's why you get the complications. And so for us, the idea is, hey, this is going to take only one hour. So by the end of the first hour you actually know what antibiotic to give the patients without having to make a guess.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:02:21]:
Well, that's an incredible leap forward from 13 days to 1 hour.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:02:24]:
Wow. Excellent.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:02:25]:
Mustafa, we're here today at TEDCO. Tell us a little bit about your early experience with TEDCO, how they've been part of your early startup experience.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:02:32]:
Absolutely. So I mean, I always tell people I'm a trained scientist and if it wasn't for that check from Tedco early on, even before I finished my PhD, I wouldn't be here. Tedco turned me from a scientist into a startup founder. And even after that. Right. Like, I always reach out to them for advice. You named the program at TEDCO. I have done it, yeah.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:02:58]:
Tedco isn't just about funding. Right. You just mentioned they're about programs. Could you talk about any of the programs that really have kind of stood out to you?

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:03:04]:
Right. So let's say so first thing was the mii. Right. I got the check from the mii and then there is the SBIR proposal lab. So I had never written a proposal in my life and I joined that. We got that first grant also with the help of TEDCO. And then I realized that I had no clue how the FDA works. So they provided me an advisor, I think the loaned executive program.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:03:29]:
And you know, it just, it continued. And right now the Teddy Gresser, I think he's the director of the seed program. I reach out to him like weekly, just asking him, hey, by the way, I have this issue, what do you think I should do? And you know, he's been very generous with advice.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:03:47]:
That's great. The ability to have a community of experts and funders behind you as a startup founder is so critical.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:03:57]:
So it takes a village to bring a medical device to market. Really. It does.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:04:02]:
You're a UMBC graduate here in Maryland, so you do have some ties to Maryland. Tell us a little bit about what it's been like in this ecosystem here in Maryland starting a medtech company.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:04:14]:
Well, I can tell you why I came to Maryland. So before coming to the US I was a refugee in Jordan and in Europe. And right before leaving Europe, I was like, you know what? Let me travel. So I traveled and I went to Monaco and I fell in love with Monaco, right? And it's all like these yachts and boats and like the energy of that town. I just fell in love with it. So fast forward, I came to the US and I had no idea where I was going to live. So I did a road trip. I came to the Inner harbor in Maryland.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:04:47]:
I was like, well, this is reminding me of, you know, that waterfront area in Monaco. And this is where I ended up staying because I really fell in love with it. And as far as growing a company here I mean, you have the best universities in the world, right. You have Hopkins, you have Maryland. There is no shortage of talent. You have all these state programs that we use, like the biotechnology tax credit. Right. Our investors love it.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:05:17]:
I don't think we would be able to raise as much money if it wasn't for the help of commerce.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:05:23]:
Yeah, that's great. So that tax credit gives investors a tax rebate for investing in biotech and medtech companies.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:05:29]:
Absolutely. It's between 33, which is what we do to 75 if you know, if you meet some criteria.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:05:38]:
That's fantastic. Tell us about where you are now or any milestones you have coming up at Astek.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:05:43]:
Yeah, so I am really proud of this. Right. We started three and a half years ago and we took a sketch on a whiteboard and now we have an alpha product that is actually being used in hospitals for research. It has showed over 90% accuracy to date. And when I say 90%, the standard for the industry is like 66%. So I'm really proud of what our team achieved. It is really expensive to take a medical device to market. So right now we're raising about $15 million.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:06:15]:
That should be enough to get us to the market. And we have contracts for $30 million. So we know once we're in the market, the people are waiting. Manufacturing is being set up as we speak right now.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:06:30]:
Well, you're raising this $15 million fund now. Is it active and open?

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:06:35]:
How's the. Absolutely, absolutely. So we're finalizing a term sheet with our lead and then we have some follow on investors who already committed pending that term sheet. And I think we have room for a couple million dollars still.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:06:49]:
That's wonderful. Well, hopefully there's some people listening here that may get piqued interest in finding a company like yours that is creating such a leap forward in the diagnostic field for antibiotic resistance and.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:07:05]:
Absolutely. I mean the more partners we have, the more brain power. So if are interested, even if you want to give advice on how to do this, please reach out to me anytime.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:07:18]:
That's great. Well, I want to thank you for joining us today, Mustafa. Your story is absolutely fantastic. And, and I, and I scientist to entrepreneur refugee to Maryland residents and here in the Monaco of the US that's the first time I've heard that. But I love it and we're going to use it.

Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, CEO, Astek Diagnostics [00:07:37]:
Sure.

Chris Frew, CEO, BioBuzz Networks [00:07:40]:
Well, Mustafa, again, thank you for joining us today. My name is Chris Frew with BioBuzz Networks. We're here live today at the TEDCO Expo. Right here in Baltimore. Thank you for joining.