European Commission STRIM: Scientific Training for Post-Translational Modification Detection in Cancer Screening

Cancer remains one of the greatest challenges to the EU healthcare systems. Early detection and diagnosis dramatically increases the prospect of successful treatment and survival. Academia and the rapidly growing cancer diagnostics and biosensors sectors have an urgent need for researchers skilled in developing improved screening technologies, which can offer major opportunities to impact cancer survival. However, the development of assays with the required sensitivity, reliability and technology formats for multi-cancer early detection is only recently emerging and faces significant R&D challenges.

STRIM will train a cohort of researchers in the multi-disciplinary science, bioinformatics, technology, social, clinical and health-economic skills required to deliver comprehensive bioelectronic tools for cancer screening, tools that are fast, accurate, sensitive, and exploit advanced molecular receptors and nanobiotechnologies for detection of aberrant post-translational modifications (PTM) of proteins and nucleic acids as cutting-edge biofluid markers for early detection of cancers. Growing evidence suggests that PTM play important roles in human cancers and are likely to prove highly specific for cancer type. Focusing on both genomic and proteomic PTM biomarkers will be a game-changing strategy for improving early cancer detection rates, efficiency and population health.

Doctoral training in STRIM will encompass state-of-the art approaches for ultra-sensitive detection of PTM biomarkers as cancer screening tools by building on recent advances in electrochemiluminescence, aptamer and DNA microarrays and conducting polymer micro-structured electrodes. These techniques will reach new levels of specificity and overcome barriers to the realization of multiplexed diagnostics for enhanced cancer screening. All translational issues will be considered in harmonization with regulatory and health technology assessment and social acceptability will be screened in the population.

Novo Nordisk Foundation

Validating Serum Tests for Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor-2 for Precise Diagnosis and Stratification of Breast and Gastro-Oesophagal Cancers

This project provides medical doctors with fast and accurate liquid biopsy tests for analysis of protein HER-2/neu in blood of cancer patients and cancer risk groups. HER-2/neu levels are elevated in aggressive breast and in gastro-oesophagal cancers that have poor clinical prognosis and require targeted therapies and continuous monitoring of HER-2/neu in response to the anticancer treatment. Clinical HER-2/neu analysis rely on solid tumor biopsies and is poorly suited for continuous monitoring. A liquid biopsy (diagnostics in serum samples) will then allow a non-invasive analysis of cancer state at lower cost and for faster times. HER-2/neu serum diagnostics based on a low-cost ultrasensitive bioelectronic technology will be clinically validated by correlating patients’ serum and tumor HER-2/neu profiles and related to the results of solid tumor analysis and patients’ scanning at the nuclear medicine department. Test strips will be developed for immediate use at point-of-care sites.

Innovation Fund Denmark

Universal Biosensor Platform for Rapid Diagnostic Tests

The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for rapid and easy-to-use diagnostic tests. Pathogens, cancer biomarkers, and small drug molecules are diagnostic relevant targets requiring rapid tests. Few commercial-relevant proof-of-principle devices exists due to immense challenges within stability and diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Most promising are electrochemical-based biosensors exploiting aptamers as biorecognition molecules and fast electrochemical methods to achieve the needed requirements. This project develops a rapid and low-cost biosensor platform with new chemical surface modification to increase the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Solsten’s proprietary biosensor design (patent under preparation) enables rapid development and implementation for new diagnostic targets, while the academic partner provides the expertise in electrode interfacial design and biosensor development. The outcome of this research project will provide a foundation for a science-based biosensor technology for rapid testing of diagnostic targets in the healthcare system.