The ECLIPSE project has come to a successful close, marking a major step towards faster and more accessible diagnosis of infectious diseases. Coordinated by the University of Bologna, the EU-funded project brought together leading European partners, including META Group, Università di Milano, Università di Messina, KIT, IRFMN, CSEM, and Personal Genomics SRL, to design a new generation of portable diagnostic tools.
The goal was ambitious: to create a compact device that could identify bacteria, viruses and parasites with the same level of reliability as laboratory tests, but in much less time. The result is a single, hand-held platform that can deliver results in under 30 minutes, far quicker than traditional PCR tests, which typically take more than an hour. Unlike many existing technologies, it does not require trained specialists or large laboratory equipment, making it suitable for use in hospitals, clinics, or even in the field.
The science behind ECLIPSE is both clever and practical. It is based on a technique called ElectroChemiLuminescence (ECL), which uses tiny electrochemical reactions to produce light signals that reveal the presence of a pathogen. In simple terms, when a sample reacts inside the test, a faint light is generated (the brighter the light, the higher the concentration of the infectious agent). This approach allows the device to spot even tiny traces of infection, up to a thousand times more sensitively than standard rapid tests. During the project, the team showed that the same platform could successfully detect a virus, a bacterium and a parasite, demonstrating adaptability for potential future outbreaks.
For META Group, ECLIPSE represents a clear example of how collaboration and strategic guidance can accelerate the translation of scientific research into market-ready solutions. Through its role in supporting impact assessment and exploitation activities, META Group contributed to bridging the gap between research and real-world adoption, thereby ensuring that ECLIPSE’s results are adopted and may be relevant to the needs of healthcare systems and industries.
Reflecting on the project’s journey, Marco Franchin, META Group expert, said: “Our role in ECLIPSE was to help the partners think beyond the lab, to understand where this technology could make the biggest difference, and how to get it there. It’s rewarding to see how a strong scientific idea can turn into something impactful and promising.”
The ECLIPSE final event was held on 8 October 2025 in Bologna, Italy, bringing together project partners and key stakeholders from the pharmaceutical and diagnostics sectors. It was a valuable opportunity to share the project’s results, demonstrate the platform’s potential, and discuss future paths for bringing this innovative diagnostic technology closer to real-world use.