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A small handheld device and an analytical platform could together become a tool that saves lives in hospitals in the future. 

With the device in hand, a doctor can test a single drop of a patient's blood, saliva or urine for bacteria. Nanosensors in the device detect substances secreted by the bacteria, and the results are automatically transferred to the analytical platform. Immediately afterwards, the doctor receives not only the name of the bacteria, but also a prognosis indicating how advanced the infection is, whether it is spreading or receding, whether the bacteria are antibiotic-resistant, and which which treatments can be used to combat them. 

This is roughly how Associate Professor Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi envisions the future with the tool she can now begin developing with her LF Fellowship in the DECODE project at the Department of Science and Environment at Roskilde University (RUC). 

Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi is both a nanophysicist and a microbiologist, working at the intersection of the two disciplines. She is also an author, having just published a book entitled: “Obsessed with Bacteria”. And she is. 

"I have been fascinated by the language of bacteria ever since I became aware during my bachelor's degree that bacteria communicate. So this is a dream project for me," she says. 

"Bacteria talk to each other by releasing molecules while they infect us. If we can translate what they are saying, we may be able to find out just how dangerous they really are." 

In the project, researchers will work with molecules that serve as biomarkers for three bacteria from WHO's list of high-risk pathogens — bacteria well known in hospital settings, found in patients with sepsis, severe urinary tract infections, and patients on ventilators respectively. 

For each of the bacteria, sensors will be designed to respond to so-called virulence factors (VFs). These are molecules that bacteria release early in the infection process and that make them dangerous. VFs can, for example, cause bacteria to damage tissue or evade the immune system. 

Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi has previously developed nanosensors. In the project, her research group will develop and optimise sensor technologies specifically for the three bacteria, characterise the bacteria and their VFs under different conditions, and expose them to antibiotics and to immune system molecules. 

"The key is to achieve a deep understanding of the significance of the biomarkers in relation to disease states, the course of infection and the development of resistance. And of course to test everything in a clinical context," says Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi. 

The goal is to give doctors a tool for rapid, precise and individualised treatment of patients with infections. 

"Today, it can take days to get test results back from the laboratory, and in the meantime the doctor may be trying a drug that does not work," explains Fatima AlZahra'a Alatraktchi. DECODE aims to change that. And the project has far-reaching implications. 

"If we succeed with a tool for these three bacteria, we can scale up to other disease-causing bacteria and expand the patient group. That would be a genuine revolution in how we diagnose. It could potentially both reduce antibiotic use and save lives."