Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CRIMSON (Coherent Raman Imaging for the Molecular Study of the OrigiN of diseases)
Période du rapport: 2020-12-01 au 2022-05-31
towards personalised therapy. CRIMSON will employ label-free broadband coherent Raman scattering (CRS) extended to the fingerprint region, in combination with artificial-intelligence spectroscopic data analysis, for fast cell/tissue classification with unprecedented biochemical sensitivity. The project consortium will develop a hyperspectral CRS microscope for 3D quantitative imaging of sub-cellular compartments in living cells and organoids. High acquisition speed will enable the observation of intra- and inter-cellular dynamic changes by time-lapse imaging. Partners will simulate future in-vivo studies and demonstrate the capability to image inside the body, realizing an innovative CRS endoscope and applying it to ex-vivo thick tissue slides. CRIMSON relies on the development of new compact ultrafast lasers, innovative broadband CRS detection schemes and advanced spectral analysis routines.
To validate the CRS platform, CRIMSON will investigate three open biological questions related to cancer, as paradigmatic examples of the complexity and heterogeneity of cellular diseases. The results will have profound societal impacts, improving patients’ quality of life and reducing public healthcare costs.
CRIMSON brings together a multidisciplinary team of world-leading academic organizations, biomedical end users and innovative SMEs, with vertical integration of all required skills. CRIMSON will bridge the gap between research and product development, increasing the TRL and making CRS a user-friendly, robust and cost-effective mainstream tool for a vast biological research community. Commercial exploitation by the participating SMEs, including a biomedical equipment manufacturer, will create a competitive advantage in the European biophotonics-related market for microscopes and R&D tools.
1. Label-free imaging, avoiding the use of exogenous or endogenous labels.
2. Living cell imaging capability.
3. High acquisition speed, enabling the observation of dynamic cellular processes by time-lapse imaging.
4. High biochemical sensitivity, thanks to the capability to acquire quantitative hyperspectral images allowing the identification of molecules by their unique vibrational spectrum.
5. The possibility to couple these advantages with endoscopy-based in vivo imaging.
Despite the potential of broadband CRS as a disruptive cell/tissue imaging method, several limitations have hindered the adoption of CRS microscopy by biologists as a standard research tool and the technology remains confined to low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) laboratory applications. Limitations comprise the costs and the need of regular alignment or maintenance, which make the technology not suitable for biomedical research laboratories and the lack of capability to provide rich chemical information and spectroscopic information in the fingerprint region.
With the aim of overcoming the limitations and contributing to making broadband CRS a mature technology used by biology laboratories in cellular diseases’ research, The CRIMSON project will deliver:
1. A compact and turnkey laser system specifically optimised for broadband CRS.
2. A high-speed broadband CRS acquisition system.
3. Optimised microscopy and endoscopy platforms, combining the laser and the detection system.
4. Advanced AI analysis tools, including chemometrics, machine- and deep-learning, provide a classification of cells and tissues, enabling the rich data sets obtained with CRS to be interpreted with high sensitivity and specificity.
We are validating the technology through the application to three case studies related to cancer, focusing on inter- and intra-cellular processes occurring in liver, head & neck and thyroid tumours.