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24/02/25 - General information

Meeting of the Members of the PHITBAC Nanotechnology and Infections Project at Hospital del Mar

Hospital del Mar and its research institute are part of this project, which aims to develop nanophotonic sensors for the diagnosis and clinical management of bacterial infections at the point of care.

On February 14, Hospital del Mar hosted the fourth follow-up meeting of the PHITBAC project. This initiative is driven by a consortium with public and private participation to develop rapid tests for the swift detection of bacteria, their antibiotic resistance, and antibiotic levels in the blood, all based on nanophotonics. Rapid diagnosis of microorganisms that cause severe infections remains an unresolved challenge in infectious disease management, and immediate bedside monitoring of antibiotic levels in severe infections is an unmet need.

Funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and coordinated by the Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2) led by Dr. Laura Lechuga, along with the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), the project involves the Infectious Diseases Department-represented by Dr. Juan Pablo Horcajada, Dr. Milagro Montero, and Dr. Luisa Sorli-and the Pharmacy Department, with Dr. Santi Grau and Dr. Sònia Luque, as well as the Research Institute of Hospital del Mar. Hospital Vall d'Hebron and the Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), along with the companies Biomedal and Aptus Biotech, are also participating.

The ultimate goal is to optimize the tools offered by nanotechnology for the rapid detection of bacterial infections, as well as for controlling antibiotic levels in the blood and other bodily fluids, to facilitate immediate therapeutic monitoring of treatments.

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