Loop Diagnostics

Loop Diagnostics, a Spanish biotech firm established in 2018, is focused on transforming sepsis detection in hospital settings. The company was founded by Enrique Hernández and Eduard Guerrero. The core scientific concept originated from Hernández's postdoctoral research at Bellvitge Hospital in Barcelona, where he studied the immune response in diseases like sepsis. His work on endotoxin tolerance—a state where the immune system's response is hindered—led him to realize that analyzing changes in immunological profiles could enable much earlier diagnosis than traditional methods. This insight became the foundation for Loop Diagnostics.

The company's principal offering is the SeptiLoop system, an in-vitro diagnostic test designed to identify sepsis within the first hour of a bloodstream infection. It operates by measuring the host's immune response to bacteria rather than relying on slower pathogen identification, which can take days. The test specifically measures the lack of TNF-α production as a biomarker for bacterial infection, delivering results in under three hours. This process involves mixing a whole blood sample with reagents, incubating it for 2.5 hours, and then analyzing the sample. Loop Diagnostics states that its patented method is three times more sensitive than competing tests and ten times faster than conventional pathogen identification. This speed is critical, as each hour of delayed treatment significantly increases sepsis mortality rates.

Loop Diagnostics operates in the medical diagnostics and healthtech markets, serving healthcare providers in emergency and critical care units. Its business model centers on the sale of its diagnostic device, the SeptiLoop reader, and the accompanying disposable immunoassay kits. By providing a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective point-of-care solution, the company aims to reduce mortality rates, shorten hospital stays, decrease healthcare costs associated with sepsis, and combat antibiotic resistance by enabling more targeted treatments. Following its incorporation in 2018 and subsequent milestones like a patent application in 2021 and ISO 13485 certification in 2023, the company is targeting market entry in the UK (2024) and the EU (2025).

Keywords: sepsis detection, in-vitro diagnostics, immunoassay, point-of-care testing, endotoxin tolerance, bacterial infection diagnosis, medical diagnostics, healthtech, SeptiLoop, immune response analysis, biomarker detection, antibiotic stewardship, critical care diagnostics, emergency medicine tools, TNF-alpha, rapid diagnostics, blood infection test, biotech, Barcelona startup, Enrique Hernández