France-based Ocean Diagnostics completed a pilot clinical evaluation showing its rapid sepsis identification test matched conventional blood cultures and correlated with mass spectrometry results. The assay combines large-volume sample prep, pan-bacterial PCR and nanopore sequencing to detect viable bacteria in up to 10 mL of whole blood, delivering results in about five hours with a goal to cut to 3.5 hours before commercialization. The company plans CE-mark clinical trials next year and eventual FDA clearance.