Descripción del proyecto
Obtención de imágenes de virus individuales
Para abordar las infecciones víricas mediante tratamientos novedosos, se necesita caracterizar estructuras virales e identificar dianas terapéuticas. Sin embargo, la obtención de imágenes de virus solo se puede realizar en infraestructuras de investigación especializadas y requiere un equipo caro. Para hacer frente a esta limitación, el proyecto financiado con fondos europeos NanoXCAN desarrollará un microscopio de sobremesa que utilice rayos X para obtener imágenes de los virus. El microscopio podrá obtener imágenes biomédicas a nanoescala y estará disponible para la comunidad científica en general. Aparte de los estudios estructurales, podrá emplearse para estudiar los mecanismos implicados en la infección vírica, así como el modo de acción de antivirales nuevos.
Objetivo
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that emerged in late 2019. By March 2020, the outbreak was declared a devastating pandemic and clearly illustrated the threat that viruses pose to our society. The characterization of viral structures and the identification of key proteins involved in each step of the cycle of infection are crucial to developing treatments. Yet imaging single viruses can only be performed in a few specialized centers in Europe, while every hospital could benefit from it. NanoXCAN proposes to develop a tabletop virus imaging X-ray microscope, with foreseeable impact as revolutionary as the invention of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, paving the way towards determination of structure and dynamics of matter to a large community. For this purpose, we will develop an original digital laser that delivers, on a daily operation, subwavelength focusing, reaching relativistic intensities at MHz repetition rates. This will be used to create a nano-source of hard X-rays from the Kalpha plasma emission of metallic nano-targets at an average power comparable to that of a synchrotron beamline. We will capitalize on this high brilliance, high average power hard X-ray source to perform lensless nanoscale biomedical imaging based on recent findings in incoherent imaging and machine learning. All these ingredients will create a unique nanoscopy platform that our consortium will illustrate by imaging a single virus. In the future, our X-ray IDI microscope could help to study mechanisms involved in viral infection and antiviral design. X-rays have the advantage of performing in-situ non-destructive and non-invasive imaging over competing techniques. NanoXCAN will create a transformative positive effect on our economy and society by proposing this new technology for single virus imaging.
Ámbito científico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirology
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopy
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesRNA virusescoronaviruses
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencemachine learning
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
HORIZON-EIC-2021-PATHFINDEROPEN-01
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaRégimen de financiación
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC GrantsCoordinador
1000-043 Lisboa
Portugal