INESC ID researchers contributed to the development of an intelligent device for the detection of multi-resistant bacteria
A group of Portuguese researchers from INESC-ID and INESC MN have contributed to the development of Bactometer, a biological detector that can be used as screening system to detect multi-resistant bacteria in less than an hour.
Multidrug-resistant bacteria are estimated to cause about 4.5 million hospital infections every year in Europe. Every day, patients colonized with multidrug-resistant bacteria are seen in Intensive Care Units, introducing these microorganisms into the hospital environment. These microorganisms develop more resistance and infect 1/5 of hospitalized patients.
Bactometer will allow rapid and efficient identification of the strain of bacteria and its resistance mechanisms, reducing the current waiting time of 48-72h (with the laboratory culture method) to less than 1h. This new device will serve as a valuable support in the battle against antimicrobial resistance in Hospital environments.
Additionally, the device is easily operated with no need for previous experience (similar to a COVID test) and the cost is similar to lab cultures (a classic but less precise method). This alternative is highly accurate on par with other expensive and sophisticated methods, such as PCR.
Bactometer was created thanks to the research that has been developed at INESC for the last 15 years (INESC MN and INESC ID), as the device integrates technologies resulting from this long research work.
The project was launched and monitored by Técnico professors: Paulo Freitas and Susana Cardoso from INESC MN and Moisés Piedade, Jorge Fernandes and Gonçalo Tavares from INESC-ID.
The current project team is composed by 4 elements from Instituto Superior Técnico: Diogo Caetano (Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D.), Ruben Afonso (Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. candidate), Débora Albuquerque (Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. candidate) and Ana Rita Soares (Technological Physics Ph.D.).
The device development also counted with the support of the Portuguese start-up Magnomics. Founded in 2013, the company is focused on delivering the next generation of fully portable in-vitro molecular diagnostic devices. The basis of its novel and proven technology was transferred from INESC-ID and INESC MN and is based on an on-chip DNA extraction, amplification, and magnetic detection.
More about the Bactometer on the official website.
Official Press Release (INESC Brussels)
Upcoming Events
NII International Internship Programme Presentation and Q&A by Emmanuel Planas
On April 30, Emmanuel Planas, the acting director of the Global Liaison Office (GLO) and responsible for the internationalisation program at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Tokyo, Japan, will give a presentation to introduce the NII and its internship program to INESC-ID students and IST’s Master’s in Computer Science students.
Date & Time: April 30, 14h00
Where: Sala Polivalente, Técnico – Taguspark
“The NII International Internship Program is an exchange activity with students from institutions with which NII has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement. This incentive program aims at giving interns the opportunity for professional and personal development by engaging in research activities under the guidance and supervision of NII researchers.
The NII Internship Program is open to Research Master’s and PhD students who are currently enrolled at one of the partner institutions that have signed an MOU agreement with NII.”
Educational Workshop on Responsible AI for Peace and Security (UNODA)
On June 6 and 7, The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) are offering a selected group of technical students the opportunity to join a 2-day educational workshop on Responsible AI for peace and security.
The third workshop in the series will be held in Porto Salvo, Portugal, in collaboration with GAIPS, INESC-ID, and Instituto Superior Técnico. The workshop is open to students affiliated with universities in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa, Oceania, and Asia.
Date & Time: June 6 a 7
Where: IST – Tagus Park, Porto Salvo
Registration deadline: April 8
Summary: “As with the impacts of Artificial intelligence (AI) on people’s day-to-day lives, the impacts for international peace and security include wide-ranging and significant opportunities and challenges. AI can help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but its dual-use nature means that peaceful applications can also be misused for harmful purposes such as political disinformation, cyberattacks, terrorism, or military operations. Meanwhile, those researching and developing AI in the civilian sector remain too often unaware of the risks that the misuse of civilian AI technology may pose to international peace and security and unsure about the role they can play in addressing them. Against this background, UNODA and SIPRI launched, in 2023, a three-year educational initiative on Promoting Responsible Innovation in AI for Peace and Security. The initiative, which is supported by the Council of the European Union, aims to support greater engagement of the civilian AI community in mitigating the unintended consequences of civilian AI research and innovation for peace and security. As part of that initiative, SIPRI and UNODA are organising a series of capacity building workshops for STEM students (at PhD and Master levels). These workshops aim to provide the opportunity for up-and-coming AI practitioners to work together and with experts to learn about a) how peaceful AI research and innovation may generate risks for international peace and security; b) how they could help prevent or mitigate those risks through responsible research and innovation; c) how they could support the promotion of responsible AI for peace and security.”