Time is always a decisive factor in clinical applications - this applies in particular to the treatment of severe infections, e.g. sepsis. All too often, physicians in intensive care units have to treat 'blind' with broad-spectrum antibiotics, as they are initially unable to determine the pathogen or any antimicrobial resistance that may be present. An early diagnosis is the basis for a reliable therapy decision and saves lives. The light-based method of the research team led by Prof. Ute Neugebauer and Prof. Juergen Popp offers a fast, cost-effective alternative to the previously time-consuming microbiological pathogen diagnostics. The Lab-on-a-Chip system is the result of close cooperation at the interface of photonics, medicine, microfluidics and system integration at the Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies (Leibniz-IPHT) and at the Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC) of the University Hospital Jena (UKJ).