From the scientific perspective, the project has already generated results in the field of imaging flow cytometry, including microfluidic handling, advanced optical imaging, and real-time data analysis. Quantitative outcomes include the demonstration of stable inertial focusing at flow velocities approaching 1 m/s, diffraction-limited light-sheet generation (~1 µm beam waist), sub-micron volumetric imaging under flow conditions, millisecond-scale super-resolution imaging of extracellular vesicles, and deformability-based blood cell classification. These results address the project’s baseline assumptions, namely that IFC performance can be extended beyond current commercial systems by combining modular optofluidics with data-driven analysis.
From an industrial and economic perspective, the project has started the path toward developing modular, scalable, and reusable components that reduce system complexity and facilitate future manufacturability. The separation between disposable microfluidic devices and reusable optical modules, the use of polymer materials compatible with scalable fabrication techniques, and the implementation of feedback-controlled flow systems provide could be the basis for industrial translation. While, as expected this development are at a preliminary stage, the interaction with industrial partners and the identification of exploitable foreground in microfluidic flow control, optofluidic probes, and imaging subsystems indicate that the expected economic and technological impacts remain valid and achievable within the project timeframe.
Societal impact is being built through the project’s focus on minimally invasive diagnostics and liquid biopsy applications, particularly for hematological diseases. The validation of deformability- and morphology-based biomarkers on patient samples, combined with real-time, label-free analysis pipelines, demonstrates the potential of NEXTSCREEN technologies to support earlier, faster, and more accessible diagnostics, aligning with the long-term goal of deployment in clinical settings by non-technical users.
