A-Patch · Project

Wearable Skin Patch That Detects Infectious Diseases in Real Time

healthTestedTRL 5

apatch.technion.ac.il

Imagine a small, flexible sticker on your skin that can sniff out infections before you even feel sick. Your body releases tiny chemical traces through your skin when you're fighting a disease — this patch has smart sensors that pick up those signals instantly. It's self-powered and can even repair itself, so it keeps working without batteries or maintenance. The patch sends results wirelessly to a doctor's phone, making diagnosis as easy as wearing a band-aid.

By the numbers

TRL 4-5

Technology readiness validated in lab and hospital environments

Consortium partners collaborating on development

Countries represented in the consortium

4 M€

Estimated total project funding

36 months

Project duration

SMEs involved in the consortium

40%

Industry partner ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Infectious diseases are often diagnosed too late because current methods require lab visits, blood draws, and hours or days of waiting for results. Hospitals and health systems need faster, less invasive ways to catch infections early — especially in outbreak scenarios where speed saves lives. A simple, wearable solution that continuously monitors patients could transform how we detect and respond to infectious diseases.

The solution

What was built

The project built a flexible, wearable diagnostic patch that detects infectious diseases by sensing volatile organic compounds released through the skin. Two documented prototypes were produced — a mid-period integration prototype and a final integrated prototype — both validated at TRL 4-5 in lab and hospital settings, with self-powering and self-healing capabilities.

Audience

Who needs this

Hospital networks managing infectious disease wards and ICUsMedical device companies expanding into wearable diagnosticsNational public health agencies responsible for epidemic surveillanceMilitary and defense health services needing field-deployable diagnosticsElderly care facility operators monitoring vulnerable populations

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Healthcare & Hospital Networks

enterprise

Target: Hospital groups and healthcare providers managing infectious disease wards

If you are a hospital network dealing with slow lab-based infection diagnosis and delayed treatment decisions — this project developed a wearable diagnostic patch validated at TRL 4-5 in hospital environments that detects disease-specific compounds from the skin in real time. This could cut diagnosis waiting times and reduce the need for invasive blood draws across your facilities.

Medical Device Manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Wearable medical device manufacturers looking to expand into diagnostics

If you are a medical device company looking to move beyond fitness trackers into clinical-grade diagnostics — this project built a flexible, self-powered sensor patch with self-repairing capabilities demonstrated through both mid-period and final prototypes. The technology uses low-cost manufacturing-compatible processes, giving you a head start on a product line for infection monitoring.

Public Health & Epidemic Response

enterprise

Target: National health agencies and epidemic surveillance organizations

If you are a public health agency struggling with early detection of infectious disease outbreaks in communities — this project created an autonomous wearable patch with secure data transmission designed for monitoring by national health systems. With 10 consortium partners across 7 countries, the technology was built with cross-border deployment in mind from day one.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

The project objective mentions an estimated total funding of 4 M€ across the consortium. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinator (Technion). With 4 industry partners in the consortium, some commercial pathways may already be in development.

Can this scale to industrial production?

The project explicitly targeted compatibility with low-cost manufacturing and pilot production using Thin Organic Large Area Electronics (TOLAE). The consortium includes a system integrator and diagnostic test implementer, suggesting the path from prototype to production was part of the design.

Who owns the IP and how can I access it?

IP is likely shared among the 10 consortium partners under the Horizon 2020 grant agreement. Technion, as coordinator, would be the first point of contact. With 2 SMEs and 4 industry partners involved, licensing arrangements may already exist for specific applications.

Has this been tested in real clinical settings?

The objective states validation in lab and hospital environments at TRL 4-5. Two dedicated prototype deliverables were produced — a mid-period prototype and a final prototype — both with integration reports confirming the testing progression.

How does this integrate with existing hospital IT systems?

The patch incorporates secure transmission for privacy-ensured diagnosis monitoring. It was designed to connect with physicians, national health systems, and worldwide health organizations. Based on available project data, specific integration protocols would need to be discussed with the consortium.

What diseases can it actually detect?

The patch uses a hybrid sensor array with multiplexed detection to identify disease-specific volatile organic compounds from the skin surface. The objective describes it as enabling rapid and highly-accurate diagnosis, though specific disease targets would need to be confirmed with the research team.

Is this compliant with medical device regulations?

The project reached TRL 4-5, which is pre-regulatory approval stage. Further clinical validation and CE marking or FDA approval would be required before commercial deployment. The consortium includes a health-maintenance organization that likely provided regulatory pathway guidance.

Consortium

Who built it

The A-Patch consortium brings together 10 partners from 7 countries (Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, France, Israel, Latvia, Netherlands), led by Technion — one of Israel's top technical universities. The mix is well-balanced for commercialization: 4 industry partners (40% ratio) including 2 SMEs ensure business relevance, while 2 universities and 3 research institutes provide the scientific backbone. The consortium specifically includes a health-maintenance organization and a diagnostic test implementer, meaning end-user needs were built into the project from the start rather than bolted on later. This cross-sector, multinational setup suggests a technology designed for the European market with real commercial intent.

TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYCoordinator · IL
NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNOparticipant · NL
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYparticipant · FI
INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUMparticipant · BE
TECHNION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION LTDthirdparty · IL
FOUNDATION FOR INNOVATIVE NEW DIAGNOSTICSparticipant · CH
LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATEparticipant · LV

How to reach the team

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology is the coordinator. Use SciTransfer's contact service to reach the project lead.

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the A-Patch research team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people and provide a detailed technology brief tailored to your business needs.

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