RapiOmics-Plex: A Platform for Rapid Detection of Highly-Multiplexed Multi-omics Biomarker Panel

Combat-related sepsis can arise from various causes, including injuries and burns sustained during combat training. This condition has a profound and lasting impact on many U.S. veterans and the broader U.S. population. However, the gold standard technique for identifying sepsis cases is hindered by slow diagnostics that rely on bacterial blood cultures. Consequently, developing a molecular diagnostic tool to accurately identify and treat individuals with sepsis is crucial. Previous biomarker studies have primarily focused on gene expression to predict risk and diagnose the host response to sepsis, but these methods have shown limited clinical success. To achieve a more comprehensive understanding, recent investigations have emphasized the importance of multi-omic biomarkers for the early and precise identification of sepsis. These biomarkers enable accurate diagnosis, provide valuable prognostic information, and guide personalized treatment plans. The multi-omics approach encompasses genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolic analysis. However, detecting these multi-omic biomarkers requires multiple, complex technologies such as microarrays, diverse sequencing platforms, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and mass spectrometry. As a result, the current implementation of a multi-omic diagnostic system is costly, time-consuming, and impractical. Moreover, there is a critical need to make this diagnostic technology available in far-forward environments. Therefore, an urgent solution lies in developing an automated and integrated in-vitro diagnostic tool that encompasses multiple omics, while being compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient, specifically designed for far-forward environments. Recognizing this pressing need, CFD Research will leverage our expertise to develop a handheld platform capable of quantifying multi-omic biomarkers from whole blood samples. This platform will be designed to meet the necessary size, weight, and power requirements for far-forward use. We anticipate that this technology will fill the critical gap in detecting multi-omic biomarkers and may also find applications in other markets, such as sepsis and cancer diagnostics.