Source: Parke, by parke. AI-generated summary by biochip.com, published . Not independently reviewed.
Key takeaways
- Tekniker will exhibit smart in vitro diagnostic technologies at Biospain 2026 in Bilbao from 29 September to 1 October.
- The centre will show microINR Expert, BIO 7000 and E-SENS microfluidic chips for bacterial detection.
- The technologies have been tested in increasingly realistic samples, but clinical validation with real patients is not established.
Tekniker will bring its work in smart in vitro diagnostics to Biospain 2026 in Bilbao, showing sensors, portable analytical devices and microfluidic components intended to move sophisticated testing closer to where decisions are made. The technology centre, part of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance, will exhibit within the AseBio stand at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre from 29 September to 1 October. Smart diagnostics pair familiar laboratory tests of blood, urine or sweat with advanced sensors and data analysis, aiming to process results faster, reduce handling errors and help tailor care. Tekniker is positioning itself as a development partner for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical technology companies that need help designing, validating and scaling healthcare products. Its work includes optical and electrochemical sensors that can detect health-relevant molecules and microorganisms at low concentrations. Demonstrators at the event will include a professional blood-clotting instrument, a connected portable analyser and electrode-equipped microfluidic chips for bacterial detection. The centre will also use the conference programme to discuss rapid detection of antimicrobial resistance, a growing challenge for clinical care and public health. The showcase reflects a broader push to connect sensor engineering, manufacturing and regulation so promising diagnostic concepts can progress toward practical products.
From a laboratory bench to the point of care
Traditional diagnostic testing often depends on sending a sample to a central laboratory, where trained staff use large instruments and established workflows. That approach can produce detailed information, but transport, batching and manual steps can slow the path from sample to answer.
Tekniker is developing biosensors designed to shrink part of that process. A biosensor works a little like a highly selective lock: a biological recognition element responds to a particular target, while an electronic or optical component turns that interaction into a readable signal. The targets can include proteins in blood, bacteria, viruses and potentially harmful molecules found in human, food or environmental samples.
Two routes to a measurable signal
The centre's work spans electrochemical and photonic biosensors. Electrochemical systems measure changes in electrical current, voltage or related properties after a target interacts with the sensing surface. Photonic systems use light, detecting how a sample changes an optical signal.
Both approaches can be paired with micro- and nanotechnologies, meaning structures engineered at extremely small scales. The practical aim is not smallness for its own sake. Smaller, integrated components can support portable instruments that bring analytical capability nearer to a clinic, a food-production setting or another operational site where a rapid result has value.
Devices on display in Bilbao
Among the instruments Tekniker plans to present is the microINR Expert, a professional coagulometer. A coagulometer measures how quickly blood clots, information used to determine PT/INR values, which indicate the activity of the blood-clotting pathway and are important for monitoring certain anticoagulant treatments.
The system combines its measurement function with intuitive software, connectivity options and traceability for results. Traceability means users can follow a result through the testing process, a useful capability when healthcare settings need records that connect samples, operators and measurements.
Tekniker will also show the BIO 7000, a portable connected analytical device based on biosensor technology. The device is intended to quantify key parameters rapidly and simply in food and healthcare applications, illustrating how the same core sensing approach can be adapted to different sample types and use cases.
Microfluidic chips for bacterial detection
A further focus is a set of microfluidic chips with integrated electrodes made using thin-film technology. Microfluidics is the controlled movement of tiny volumes of liquid through small channels, much like routing droplets through a miniature plumbing network. Integrating electrodes into that network can let the chip handle and measure a sample in a compact format.
Developed through the E-SENS initiative, these chips are designed to detect bacteria in agri-food, environmental and human sample matrices. A matrix is the complex material surrounding the target being measured, such as serum, a seafood product or a swab sample. Testing in real matrices matters because fats, proteins, salts and other ingredients can interfere with a sensor that performs well in a clean laboratory solution.
Testing under increasingly realistic conditions
Tekniker's development process has moved from pure samples to spiked samples and then to real samples. A spiked sample is a real-world material to which researchers add a known amount of the target, allowing them to test whether the system can find it despite the sample's natural complexity.
Santos Merino, a researcher at Tekniker, said the technologies have been evaluated with human serum, plasma, tears and nasopharyngeal samples. The team has also worked with surimi sticks, prawns and octopus, alongside spiked dairy products, salmon, ham and pâté. This progression is a meaningful engineering step because it asks sensors to perform outside simplified conditions, though it is distinct from clinical validation with patients.
Regulation and manufacturing are part of the design
A diagnostic device needs more than a sensitive sensor. Developers must demonstrate that it performs reliably, document how it is made and manage the regulatory requirements that govern its use. Tekniker says it supports companies from early research through prototype validation and industrial manufacturing, with the goal of reducing development risks before a product reaches market-entry stages.
The centre holds ISO 13485 certification for medical-device design and development. ISO 13485 is a quality-management standard for organizations involved in medical devices, providing a structured way to control processes and documentation. Tekniker also cites experience with the European In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation, known as IVDR, and the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act, which may matter when diagnostic tools include data-driven software.
One Health and antimicrobial resistance
Tekniker will extend the discussion beyond its exhibition area on 30 September at 16:00, during a Biospain round table on One Health diagnostics. One Health recognizes that human health, animal health and environmental conditions are interconnected, particularly when infectious organisms and resistance genes can move across settings.
The session will address vaccine development, rapid diagnosis of resistance genes and rapid phenotypic detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Phenotypic detection asks a direct question: does a bacterium actually survive or grow in the presence of an antibiotic? Portable sensor-based tools could help provide information that supports clinical decision-making when clinicians need to respond quickly to suspected resistant infections.
Why This Matters
Diagnostic innovation often fails when a promising laboratory measurement cannot be reproduced in messy real samples, manufactured consistently or guided through regulation. Tekniker's Biospain presentation puts those connected hurdles in the same frame: sensing performance, device integration, validation, quality systems and scale-up.
The centre's collaborations with iLine, Biolan, Erreka Medical and Ayesa show that the work is being pursued with industrial partners rather than as sensor research alone. Its model also assigns distinct roles to technology centres, companies, hospitals and public administrations, with hospitals providing clinical validation and public bodies supporting funding structures.
At Biospain 2026, the decisive question will be how these demonstrators advance from technically credible components into validated diagnostic workflows. Progress will depend on continued testing in intended settings, careful regulatory preparation and partnerships able to turn compact sensing systems into dependable tools for users.