Nanological develops an AI test capable of detecting sepsis in minutes
The CSIC spin-off incubated at Madrid Science Park reduces diagnosis time from days to half an hour.
Nanological, a spin-off from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), is making progress in the development of a biomedical device capable of diagnosing sepsis -one of the most serious and rapidly progressing infections- in a matter of minutes. According to the Spanish Society of Intensive Care Medicine and Coronary Units, this condition causes around 17,000 deaths in Spain every year and accounts for around 5% of hospital admissions.
The challenge Nanological is addressing is urgent: traditional diagnostic methods can take several days to identify the bacteria causing the infection. «In the meantime, doctors have to act blindly, administering empirical treatments», explains Blanca Caballero, founder and CEO of the start-up. Their technology allows the pathogen to be detected in a few minutes, enabling early treatment. «Administering the right treatment within the first hour increases survival rates by up to 80%», adds Caballero.
The advances in this technology were presented at Madrid Connect 2025, the innovation forum organised by Madrid Science Park, during the Smart Health: Science and data for the medicine of the future round table. The company participated in the start-up block, following a previous block with experts from Telefónica, the Community of Madrid, Quirónsalud, Cinfa, Eurecat and Carlos III University, in a debate on the challenges of data-based medicine and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical diagnosis.
Start-ups and digital health: an ecosystem with potential
During her presentation, Caballero explained that her platform combines high-precision optical sensors and AI to analyse blood samples and characterise bacteria in milliseconds. «Early diagnosis of sepsis can mean the difference between life and death. Our technology seeks to offer hospitals a tool that reduces response times and allows them to act before the infection becomes irreversible», she said.
The company has developed a functional prototype with 96% accuracy in identifying the three most common types of bacteria in sepsis, and is working with hospitals in Madrid to begin clinical validation of the device in 2026. According to Caballero, the versatility of the platform will allow its applications to be extended to other areas such as cancer diagnosis and hospital infections. «We want Spanish biomedical research to compete internationally with its own technology and social impact. Madrid offers an ideal ecosystem to achieve this», added the founder.
In this line, Madrid Science Park CEO, Marta del Castillo Vázquez, highlighted the role of the Madrid Connect forum as a meeting point for scientific and technological talent in Madrid: «Startups such as Nanological demonstrate the capacity of our ecosystem to transform science into real solutions. The challenge now is to continue connecting researchers with business and society», she said. With this round table, the Smart Health block was consolidated as one of the most relevant at Madrid Connect 2025, demonstrating Madrid's leadership in healthcare AI, biotechnology and clinical data governance.