Fungal Detection
zepto’s solution
zepto’s solution
Zepto aims to replace the commercial blood culture with a >99.5% sensitivity Invasive Fungal Infection assay <90 minutes.


- Rapid detection; <90min
- Unmatched sensitivity
- Targets cell-free DNA
- Simultaneously identifies 9 fungal genres
- Significant increase in survival rate
Every year, about 75,000 U.S. residents contract an invasive fungal infection (IFI). Globally, IFIs are responsible for an estimated 1.5 million deaths per year. In the U.S., 80% of antifungals are being misused due to ineffective and lengthy diagnostic tests. The current death rate from Fungal Infections is alarmingly high at around 35%-50%.

Issues with Commercial Fungal Tests:
The inability of current diagnostic practices to quickly and accurately identify invasive fungal infections has led to a patient mortality rate of between 35 – 50% and $4.5 billion hospital cost annually in the US. Accurate diagnostics within 12 hours reduces mortality to 11% however, blood culture, the current industry standard for diagnosis, takes more than two days and has a sensitivity of only 50%. Given the time constraints, doctors often start a fungal treatment leading to 80% of antifungals being misused and are associated with the rise in drug-resistant fungal strains.

Zepto Solution:
Zepto’s GMR instrument and cartridge will get results in 90 minutes by eliminating the two-day incubation period required for blood culture. Mortality increases 8% per hour of delayed treatment in patients experiencing septic shock. Currently, a positive blood culture requires additional diagnostics to identify the pathogen. Zepto’s system identifies pathogen cell-free DNA in patient samples, which results in faster, more accurate diagnostic results.
