FIBIOHRC Participates in a €8.85 Million European tender to Develop a Rapid Diagnostic Device Against Antimicrobial Resistance (KAIROS)
The Fundación para la Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (FIBioHRC/IRYCIS) is a partner in a European consortium led by Dutch start up <ShanX MedTech>. This entity has been awarded €8.85 million tender under the EU4Health programme (HADEA/2025/CPN/0006) to develop an innovative point-of-care diagnostic device capable of rapidly determining bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics aiming to move such technologies from early innovation toward regulatory-ready solutions. The contract and the procurement is part of a broader EU strategy to strengthen preparedness against health emergencies and tackle antimicrobial resistance
The project addresses one of the most pressing public health challenges worldwide: antimicrobial resistance. By significantly reducing the time required to identify the most effective antibiotic treatment, the technology aims to support more accurate prescribing decisions and improve patient outcomes.
The awarded project brings established clinical and industrial partners but faces the usual hurdles of clinical validation, regulatory approval, scale up, and market adoption.
ShanX MedTech (Dutch IVD MedTech company) coordinates and leads a group of established industry players with decades of experience in in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) manufacturing and market credibility at the point of care (POC). Namely, Aidian Oy (Finland), Biosurfit S.A. (Portugal), Unitron B.V. (Netherlands) and FIBIOHRC/IRYCIS (Spain).
The Spanish team is led by Dr. RAFAEL CANTÓN MORENO, with Dr. PATRICIA RUIZ GARBAJOSA as Co-Principal Investigator. They are the Heads respectively, of the Biology and Evolution of Microorganisms group. Dr. Cantón as a leading European expert in the clinical validation of medical devices and diagnostic technologies for antimicrobial resistance, was invited to participate in this high-impact innovation procurement, contributing his extensive scientific and clinical expertise to the consortium. In the study also participate Dr. MARÍA GARCÍA CASTILLO, expert in the group in technical validation of diagnostics technologies.
The initiative is aligned with the actions set out in the 2017 EU One Health Action Plan against AMR, which emphasizes the need to support innovation and improve access to diagnostic and other medical countermeasures, and it is also consistent with the provisions of the 2023 Council Recommendations.
"Our sincere thanks to the microbiology research group, whose scientific excellence and forward-thinking approach continually place them at the forefront of innovative European collaborations. Their dedication is instrumental in driving impactful research and improving patient care, fully aligned with the Strategic Plan ATENEA 2026-2030 (Transversal Impact Programme 1)".
