Rapid Electrodynamic Sepsis diagnostics

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that causes 11 million deaths worldwide annually. In sepsis, an infectious pathogen most commonly bacteria - triggers the immune system to react inappropriately. A rapid diagnosis of the presence of a pathogen(s) and identification of its specific type(s) facilitates an early initiation of antibiotic treatment and allows an administration of the most appropriate ones. The current diagnostic standard is a low-efficacy and slow bacteriological culture, which typically requires a 24-72h to receive results, of which approximately 80% are negative. In this cooperative project, the research team of Marcin Osuchowski, from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology together with Klemens Wassermann and Terje Wimberger from the CellEctric Company, Vienna, investigate a faster and more efficient method for bacteria detection in the whole blood of septic patients using novel bio- electrodynamic filters. Lysis of the full blood samples will be performed via an exposure to electric fields, producing a mixture of destroyed non-bacterial cells and non-damaged and viable bacteria. Through a special filtration, a purified sample containing concentrated pathogenic bacteria will be further used for their more specific identification and characterization. This will be performed via the so-called on-filter cultivation and exposing the bacteria to different kinds of enzymes, with which the pathogens will react in very characteristic ways depending on their type. If successful, this approach will minimize the pathogen detection time to approximately 6 hours. At the end of this project, there will be a ready-to-use and simple diagnostic workflow waiting to be verified in a prospective clinical study.

Main result: This project shows that a new electric-field-based method can clean blood samples for infection testing without harming the bacteria doctors need to detect-making faster and more reliable diagnosis of sepsis possible. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by the body's extreme response to infection. It affects millions of people worldwide each year, and early treatment is critical. However, diagnosing sepsis quickly remains difficult. One major reason is that blood-the sample used for testing-contains many human cells and molecules that interfere with detecting bacteria. These "background" components can mask the presence of pathogens or reduce the accuracy of modern diagnostic tools. This project tested a new technology developed by Cellectric Biosciences that uses carefully controlled electric fields to selectively break open (lyse) human blood cells while leaving bacteria intact. The goal was to remove the interfering components of blood without damaging the pathogens that need to be identified. The results were clear and consistent. The method removed more than 99% of blood cells from samples while preserving the number, structure, and biological activity of bacteria. This was demonstrated across multiple experimental settings, including human blood samples and a clinically relevant animal model of sepsis. Importantly, bacteria remained alive and could still be grown in the laboratory, which is essential for identifying the infection and testing antibiotic sensitivity. Advanced analytical techniques also confirmed that the bacteria's biochemical "fingerprints" remained unchanged after treatment. Another key finding is that this approach works across different types of bacteria, including those commonly involved in complex infections where multiple species are present at the same time. Current diagnostic methods often fail in such cases, detecting only one organism or missing infections entirely. By removing interfering blood components, the new method improves the visibility and detectability of all pathogens in a sample. The potential impact of this work is significant. Faster and more accurate identification of infectious agents could help doctors choose the right treatment earlier, improving survival rates and reducing unnecessary use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. This is particularly important in intensive care settings, where every hour counts. In addition, the technology is compatible with existing laboratory workflows and diagnostic tools, making it easier to integrate into clinical practice. Beyond sepsis, this approach could benefit a wide range of medical and diagnostic applications that rely on blood analysis, including emerging rapid testing platforms and personalized medicine. In summary, this project addresses a critical bottleneck in infection diagnostics-sample preparation-and offers a practical solution that could enhance the speed, accuracy, and reliability of detecting life-threatening infections.