The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), a body under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, has announced the winners of the II CSIC Transfer and Entrepreneurship Awards. These awards aim to recognize and highlight the work carried out by CSIC researchers, centers, and institutes in the fields of knowledge and technology transfer, while also promoting an entrepreneurial culture and showcasing scientific and technological achievements.
The awards are divided into four categories: Technology Transfer, Knowledge Transfer, Entrepreneurship, and CSIC Center or Institute Career in Transfer.
In the newly established Entrepreneurship category, the winning team was led by Carla Ferrero Ruedas, a researcher with the Nanobiotechnology for Diagnostics (Nb4D) group at the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), with their project Kit for the Rapid Diagnosis of Bacterial Infections of the Lower Respiratory Tract.
The full team also includes researchers M. Pilar Marco Colás, J. Pablo Salvador Vico, and Francesc Bejarano Badell. They propose the development of an early diagnostic kit for respiratory infections that delivers results in just 10 minutes. This technology is based on the detection of Quorum Sensing (QS) molecules, which are clinically relevant biomarkers of infection.
“Detecting QS-associated molecules represents an innovative advancement, as these chemical signals play a key role in the early stages of infection and disease progression. Our approach enables specific and early identification of these biomarkers, opening new avenues for early diagnosis and more effective strategies to control bacterial infections,” explains researcher Carla Ferrero.
Lower Respiratory Tract Infections
According to the WHO, lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) were the fourth leading cause of death globally in 2024, excluding COVID-19. In hospital settings, approximately 80% of infections are bacterial in origin. The situation is further worsened by the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains (AMR). If left unchecked, AMR-related deaths could reach 10 million annually by 2050.
Prescribing more appropriate and targeted treatments is essential to mitigate AMR, which requires rapid diagnosis and identification of the causative pathogen. Current bacterial culture techniques take 24 to 72 hours to yield results, often leading to the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics—sometimes unnecessarily—which contributes to rising healthcare costs.
Business Idea
The IQAC-CSIC team proposes the development of a diagnostic kit capable of detecting bacterial respiratory infections in just 10 minutes. The technology relies on the detection of Quorum Sensing molecules—a bacterial communication mechanism used to coordinate responses based on cell density. “We have developed specific antibodies capable of detecting these molecules, which play a key role in pathogenicity and provide clinically relevant information,” explains the researcher.
Another key feature of this product is that once the developed technology is integrated into the final device, it can be used at the point of care, without the need to send samples to a laboratory. This drastically reduces diagnosis time, enabling appropriate treatment prescriptions, improving patient quality of life, helping reduce AMR, and lowering healthcare costs.
“This recognition is a key boost to continue developing our project with the goal of creating a spin-off that will bring our research to market and generate real societal impact. We want to thank the CSIC for promoting initiatives like this one, which highlight and support the efforts of those of us committed to scientific entrepreneurship, and to our team for their outstanding dedication and commitment,” concludes Ferrero.