Karius

Karius is a clinical metagenomics company founded in 2014 that applies genomic sequencing and artificial intelligence to infectious disease diagnostics. The company's technology detects microbial cell-free DNA in patient samples, allowing clinicians to identify pathogens responsible for deep-seated and difficult-to-diagnose systemic infections when conventional testing falls short. Its work is built on intellectual property from Stanford University, and it operates a laboratory accredited under CLIA, CAP and ISO 15189.

Two tests anchor the product line. Karius Spectrum uses plasma metagenomic sequencing to detect more than 1,000 fungi, bacteria, DNA viruses and parasites from a single blood sample. Karius Focus BAL extends the approach to lung infections, identifying more than 500 pathogens from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The company reports that over 100,000 patient samples have been tested and that more than 600 hospitals and transplant centres use the platform across the United States.

Karius works across healthcare, transplant medicine and biopharma, partnering with drug developers to accelerate therapeutic development. Technical work spans clinical metagenomics, genomic sequencing, artificial intelligence and microbial cell-free DNA detection. The company states its aim as establishing a new standard for infectious disease diagnosis and enabling rapid clinical treatment decisions.