Background and Need

Inflammatory and immune-related conditions can be difficult to diagnose and monitor because existing approaches often rely on indirect or non-specific markers of inflammation. There is a need for improved tools that can provide more specific and measurable information about disease-associated inflammatory processes, particularly in complex conditions such as Long COVID.

Technology Overview

This technology introduces a diagnostic method and kit for detecting and quantifying fibrin amyloid microclots (FAM) and Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in small blood samples. These components can occur together as microclot-associated NETs (MiNETs) and have been observed at elevated levels in several inflammatory and immune-related conditions, including Long COVID, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome and acute infections.

Approach and Application

The approach combines fluorescent staining and imaging with machine-learning-assisted analysis to identify and quantify these markers. In practice, the technology could support the analysis of patient blood samples in diagnostic laboratories, research laboratories and clinical research settings, with potential applications in disease detection, patient stratification and monitoring of inflammatory disease processes.

Key Differentiator

A key differentiator is the combined measurement and analysis of FAM and NETs/MiNETs, rather than relying solely on conventional circulating inflammatory markers. The integration of imaging and machine-learning analysis also provides a quantitative approach that could support more objective and standardised assessment of these disease-associated structures.

Development Stage

The technology is currently at TRL 4, with the underlying approach demonstrated at experimental/laboratory level. Further development will focus on validation in larger and clinically relevant patient cohorts, optimisation and standardisation of the diagnostic workflow, and progression towards a practical diagnostic format and clinical application.

Potential Users and Commercial Partners

Potential users and commercial partners include diagnostic laboratories, hospitals and healthcare providers, clinical research organisations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, diagnostic technology developers, and academic or clinical research groups investigating inflammatory and immune-related diseases.

Commercialisation Opportunity

Stellenbosch University is seeking licensing and partnership opportunities to advance the technology towards commercialisation. This may include diagnostic development and licensing partners, clinical and research collaborators for further validation, and industry partners able to support product development, scale-up and translation into a clinically deployable diagnostic solution.