Politecnico di Bari & Partners – METACARE: Rapid STI Diagnostics with Nanophotonic Technology

The Problem

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are widespread, but many still go undetected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million new curable STIs are acquired worldwide every day among people aged 15-49. Diagnosis often depends on laboratory infrastructure, specialised personnel and lengthy processing times. Faster alternatives exist, but they may offer lower sensitivity or limited capacity to detect several infections at once.

The Project

What if four major STIs could be detected from a single urine sample in under 30 minutes?

Politecnico di Bari and its partners are developing METACARE, a nanophotonic point-of-care diagnostic platform designed to detect Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium and Trichomonas vaginalis simultaneously. The technology combines ultra-sensitive optical biosensors, DNA-based detection, a disposable microfluidic cartridge and a compact reader, with the aim of delivering rapid and accurate diagnostics closer to the patient.

Politecnico di Bari coordinates the project and leads the development of its core nanophotonic technology. Weatecho plays a key role in translating this research towards a practical diagnostic solution. The company contributes expertise in microfluidic integration, cartridge engineering and manufacturability, while also supporting the future exploitation and industrialisation of the project results. Weatecho’s scientific activities within METACARE are directed by Dr. Teresa Natale.

The consortium also brings together ICN2, which contributes biosensing chemistry, and imec, which develops the miniaturised photonic spectrometer for the compact reader. ISGlobal contributes clinical expertise and works with Hospital Clínic de Barcelona on proof-of-principle validation using clinically characterised samples. Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) contributes expertise in scalable fabrication.

Together, the six consortium partners combine nanophotonics, biosensing, clinical expertise, scalable manufacturing and device engineering to develop and validate the METACARE platform.

The Impact

Based on METACARE’s objectives, the innovation could make high-performance STI diagnostics faster, more accessible and less dependent on centralised laboratories. Rapid results could support earlier treatment, reduce delays in patient follow-up and help limit unnecessary antibiotic use. Its urine-based approach could also make screening easier to access in healthcare settings with limited diagnostic infrastructure. Beyond the initial four STI targets, the underlying nanophotonic platform could support future applications in infectious disease monitoring and other areas of medical diagnostics.

The Result

With the support of Evolution Europe in preparing its EIC Pathfinder Open proposal, METACARE was selected for funding under EIC Pathfinder Open 2026, with an EU contribution exceeding €4.1 million. The proposal achieved an outstanding evaluation score of 4.84/5, recognising its scientific excellence, disruptive innovation potential and strong interdisciplinary collaboration.

Over its planned 42-month duration, the project will work towards three key objectives:

• Developing a laboratory-validated TRL 4 demonstrator.
• Assessing its performance using at least 400 characterised clinical specimens.
• Targeting detection of four selected STIs from a single urine sample in under 30 minutes.

These remain project targets to be achieved during METACARE’s implementation.