Revolutionizing Bacterial Diagnosis: Identifying Pathogens in Minutes with Mass Spectrometry
2025-05-08
Traditional bacterial disease diagnosis involves days of tedious pathogen isolation and culturing. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich and Imperial College London have developed a groundbreaking method using mass spectrometry to identify bacteria in mere minutes. By detecting bacterial metabolic products instead of the bacteria themselves, the new technique significantly reduces diagnostic time. A database currently containing 232 medically important bacterial species and their metabolites will be expanded to include over 1400 known pathogens. This technology promises to revolutionize personalized medicine, enabling rapid and precise treatment.
(phys.org)