IIT Ropar Researchers Develop Rapid, Highly Accurate Method To Detect Harmful Bacteria

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar have unveiled a cutting-edge diagnostic approach that could transform how bacterial infections are identified in clinical settings, significantly reducing diagnostic delays and improving patient outcomes. The breakthrough, reported in the international journal Nature Communications, introduces a novel class of detection molecules known as “boronopeptides”, which are capable of identifying disease-causing bacteria with nearly 40 times greater accuracy than existing techniques.

Accurate and timely identification of bacterial infections remains a persistent challenge for clinicians. Many infections present with overlapping symptoms, making it difficult to determine the causative organism based on clinical signs alone. Conventional laboratory tests often require hours or even days to deliver definitive results, during which patients may be placed on broad-spectrum antibiotics or receive suboptimal treatment. Such delays not only compromise patient recovery but also contribute to the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance.

“The problem with current diagnostic approaches is the time lag between sample collection and definitive results,” said Dr. Anupam Bandyopadhyay from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Ropar. “By the time we know exactly which bacterium is causing the infection, valuable treatment time has already been lost.”

To address this gap, the IIT Ropar team turned to antimicrobial peptides—naturally occurring molecules that form part of the immune defence systems of many organisms. By strategically incorporating boron into these peptides, the researchers created boronopeptides with a specialised boronic acid “warhead”. This chemical modification enables the molecules to selectively recognise and bind to lipoteichoic acid, a structural component found on the surface of certain bacteria.

Lipoteichoic acid is a hallmark of Gram-positive bacteria, a major class of pathogens responsible for a wide range of hospital- and community-acquired infections. The boronopeptides demonstrated exceptional selectivity for these bacteria, allowing them to distinguish harmful microbes from healthy human cells with remarkable precision. According to the researchers, this specificity is crucial for both accurate diagnosis and patient safety.

In laboratory tests, the boronopeptides showed a dramatic, nearly 40-fold improvement in detection performance compared to existing diagnostic probes. Importantly, the molecules achieved high-quality bacterial imaging using extremely small quantities of detection agents. “We can achieve high-quality imaging for extended periods using only minute quantities of detection agents, making the technology both effective and economical,” Dr. Bandyopadhyay added.

Another key advantage of the innovation lies in its simplicity. The researchers have developed a straightforward chemical method to synthesise boronopeptides, one that does not rely on sophisticated instrumentation or highly specialised expertise. This ease of production could enable widespread adoption of the technology, including in smaller hospitals and laboratories with limited resources—an important consideration for a country like India, where access to advanced diagnostics is uneven.

While boronic acid-based antibacterial materials have been explored in earlier studies, the IIT Ropar research is the first to clearly explain how these compounds specifically target lipoteichoic acid on bacterial surfaces. This mechanistic insight not only strengthens the scientific foundation of the work but also opens new avenues for designing next-generation diagnostic tools.

Looking ahead, the research team is working to extend the application of boronopeptides to address antimicrobial resistance, a growing public health crisis in which bacteria evolve mechanisms to evade existing antibiotics. By enabling faster and more precise identification of pathogens, the technology could help clinicians choose targeted therapies sooner, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and slowing the spread of resistance, said the researchers.

If successfully translated from the laboratory to the clinic, this innovation could mark a significant step forward in infection diagnosis, offering a faster, safer, and more accessible tool to combat bacterial diseases and improve patient care, they added.