Astek Diagnostics' Chief Science Officer Christopher Skipwith Named to Technical.ly's 2026 RealLIST Innovators for Maryland

Baltimore, MD - August 31, 2026 -- Astek Diagnostics, developing diagnostics for rapid antibiotic sensitivity testing, today celebrates that its Chief Science Officer, Christopher Skipwith, PhD, has been named to Technical.ly's 2026 RealLIST Innovators for Maryland. The annual list recognizes 15 inventors, scientists and engineers whose work is shaping the future of technology in the state, selected through Technical.ly's reporting and community nominations.

Skipwith works for Astek developing new ways to understand bacteria that have evolved to resist antibiotics. He was exposed to the startup world as a graduate student through the University of Pennsylvania's technology transfer office, where he began working with companies developing fluorescence-based clinical diagnostics for blood biomarkers. That work, along with his postdoctoral and faculty research, now guides his work on the Jiddu Platform, Astek's rapid diagnostic system, which delivers antibiotic-sensitivity results within one hour to help physicians treat infections like urinary tract infections more precisely.

"Chris is one of the smartest people I know. We're fortunate to have him, and Maryland is fortunate he is building here," said Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD, Founder and CEO of Astek Diagnostics.

About Christopher Skipwith
Christopher Skipwith, PhD, is Chief Science Officer at Astek Diagnostics and an Associate Teaching Professor at Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Laurel, Maryland. Reflecting on his path into entrepreneurship, Skipwith said, "I didn't know that people could start their own companies and make cool products" - so no, he didn't know a role like his existed growing up. His favorite quote, from Benjamin E. Mays, guides his approach to his work: "The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream."

About Astek Diagnostics
Astek is developing the Jiddu™ Platform to confirm bacterial infections and assess antibiotic sensitivity across urine, CSF, wound effluent, and blood samples in as little as one hour. This is dramatically faster than current standard-of-care methods. Astek is a Y Combinator (S21) participant with support from Harvard University, NSF, BARDA, and NIH.

Media Contact
Mustafa Al-Adhami, PhD
Founder & CEO, Astek Diagnostics, Inc.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.astekdx.com

Headquarters
4 N Martin Luther King Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21201