Descrizione del progetto
L’innovativa endoscopia Raman per la diagnosi in tempo reale del carcinoma vescicale
L’endoscopia Raman è una tecnica ottica label-free che fornisce un’impronta molecolare del tessuto per la diagnosi in vivo del cancro. Attualmente, l’endoscopia Raman d’avanguardia non fornisce analisi della composizione o approfondimenti sulla biologia molecolare del tessuto. Il progetto ENDOMICS, finanziato dall’UE, mira a creare un nuovo paradigma di questa tecnologia avvalendosi della spettrometria di massa, che consente l’analisi proteomica e lipidomica per la diagnosi del carcinoma vescicale. Inoltre, il progetto svilupperà un endoscopio Raman in fibra ottica in grado di misurare profili molecolari dipendenti dalla profondità per il rilevamento, la classificazione e la stadiazione simultanei del carcinoma vescicale. La sperimentazione clinica finale permetterà l’identificazione di biomarcatori proteomici e lipidomici al fine di sviluppare nuovi algoritmi per la diagnosi in tempo reale del carcinoma vescicale.
Obiettivo
The goal of ENDOMICS is to drive forward a new paradigm of Raman endoscopic technology that enables proteomic and lipidomic analysis for diagnosis of bladder cancers in vivo. Raman endoscopy is a label-free optical technique that can provide a point-wise vibrational molecular fingerprint of tissue “optical biopsy” for cancer diagnosis in vivo. State-of-the-art Raman endoscopy, however, does not offer specific compositional analysis or insights into molecular biology of tissue. This is because the vibrational Raman bands are overlapping and cannot be deciphered into the myriad of biomolecules in complex tissue.
We will introduce a ground-breaking new methodology to enable Raman proteomic and lipidomic analysis in vivo. To this end, heterospectral co-registered Raman and mass spectrometry imaging will be used to develop a multivariate regression model “Rosetta Stone” for translating vibrational structural information (Raman spectroscopy) into compositional information. To meet the unmet clinical needs in urology we will tailor the first fibre-optic Raman endoscopic technology that can measure depth-dependent molecular profiles to simultaneously enable detection, grading and staging of bladder cancers. We will finally conduct a clinical trial by applying the technique to measure a comprehensive molecular database of bladder pathologies in vivo. The latter will allow for the identification of proteomic and lipidomic biomarkers to develop novel algorithms for real-time diagnosis of bladder cancers.
The synergy between scientific and technological advances in ENDOMICS will break ground for shedding new light on the molecular biology of bladder cancer in vivo including new insights into clinical diversity and identification of biomarkers for diagnostics, prognostics and novel therapeutic targets.
Campo scientifico
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Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-STG - Starting GrantIstituzione ospitante
WC2R 2LS London
Regno Unito