TriSense: An AI-Powered VOC Sensing System for Culture-Free Infection Diagnosis in biofluids

NanoBioFab proposes the development and validation of TriSense™, a modular diagnostic system for culture-free, point-of-care infection detection across three high-priority biofluids: synovial fluid, blood, and urine. Built upon our validated IA-Nano™ platform, TriSense™ integrates VOC-responsive nanosensor arrays with AI-powered analytics to deliver rapid, actionable results within <6–12 hours, addressing urgent diagnostic gaps in prosthetic joint infections (PJIs), bloodstream infections/sepsis (BSIs), and urinary/STI infections (UTIs/STIs).During this Sequential Phase II, we will engineer and analytically validate TRL 5/6 cartridges for three application-specific modules:SynoSense™ for detecting PJIs (Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Candida spp.) from viscous synovial fluid;BloodSense™ for direct detection of BSI/sepsis pathogens (e.g., S. aureus, E. coli, Klebsiella, C. albicans) from whole blood, incorporating anticoagulants and hemocompatible design;UriSense™, a low-cost cartridge for detecting UTI/STI pathogens (e.g., E. coli, N. gonorrhoeae, T. vaginalis) in urine.Each cartridge will be designed with fluid-specific geometry, onboard reagents (e.g., enrichment media), and miniaturized chemiresistive sensor arrays. We will generate VOC signature libraries for target pathogens, benchmark performance metrics (sensitivity, specificity, LoD, time-to-detection (TTD)) against standard methods (culture, NAAT), and develop AI/ML models trained to classify infection status in real time with >90% accuracy, while minimizing host background noise.TriSense™ addresses a critical DoD need for deployable, real-time diagnostics in trauma care, expeditionary medicine, and force health protection. Its compact, cartridge-based format supports forward-operating use without reliance on central laboratories. By the end of this project, we will deliver validated TRL 5/6 cartridges and trained algorithms, supporting transition to Phase III clinical trials, regulatory engagement, and DoD field integration.