There is a growing resistance to carbapenems, a class of antibiotics used to treat serious infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. This resistance, especially in clinical settings, and particularly among Enterobacterales and other Gram-negative bacteria, is largely driven by the production of a type of enzymes called carbapenemases.
Over the next three years, NanoCarbaOne aims to address this urgent health threat by developing a fast and ultra-sensitive diagnostic device. The tool will be capable of detecting and quantifying carbapenemases directly from samples such as blood, urine, or rectal swabs. The device will integrate dispersible sensors for bacterial pre-concentration and an array of nano-structured sensors within a microfluidic chip.
Unlike current methods, which often require time-consuming culturing, this new diagnostic tool will deliver results in under one hour. The system will not only provide rapid results, but will also offer high diagnostic accuracy, providing support for therapeutic decision-making and infection control practices. In parallel, the project prioritizes the use of sustainable materials and low-impact processes to minimize environmental footprint.
The project is funded under the ERA4Health partnership, a European initiative that selects collaborative research projects at the European level. Each consortium partner then applies for funding through their respective national funding agencies. The project has a total budget of over €1.4 million, with ICIQ receiving €270,000 in funding from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI).
NanoCarbaOne is coordinated by ICIQ with the involvement of Prof. Beatriz Prieto-Simón. The consortium brings together five other partners from across Europe with expertise in microbiology, diagnostics, microfluidics, and medical technology: the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER) in Spain, the Department of Medical Biotechnologies at the University of Siena in Italy, SINTEF Digital’s Smart Sensors and Microsystems group in Norway, Yallow Life Sciences also in Norway, and Redoxme AB in Poland.
Team members from all partner institutions gathered at ICIQ on June 5th and 6th, 2025 to officially kick off the NanoCarbaOne project. It was the first time all partners met in person, making it a great opportunity to align on goals and get to know project structure, work plan and roles.
The meeting included partner presentations showcasing each team’s expertise. Discussions throughout the two days also covered project management, dissemination and exploitation strategies, data handling, and the establishment of an advisory board made up of key stakeholders in antimicrobial diagnostics. A lab tour wrapped up the first day, while the second day focused on defining research objectives, building synergies and mapping out the next steps.
Project PCI2025-163137 funded by MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/UE under the umbrella of “Partnership Fostering a European Research Area for Health (ERA4Health)” (GA N° 101095426 of the EU Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme).
La entrada NanoCarbaOne project will tackle antimicrobial resistance with next-gen diagnostics se publicó primero en ICIQ.