Objective
Tissue O2 delivery is essential for life and rate-limiting for activities. Its maintenance is paramount in medical conditions ranging from critical care to anaemia, and a common corrective intervention is blood transfusion, drawing an annual demand of >20 units/1000 people. Blood tests are routinely performed (2/capita/year in Europe) to measure surrogates of O2-carrying capacity, such as haemoglobin content, driving a global market worth €10B. However, current diagnostics cannot measure the speed of O2 release from red blood cells (RBCs), a parameter as important in determining tissue oxygenation as O2-carrying capacity and particularly labile in haematological disease and blood storage. To address this unmet need, we developed single-cell oxygen saturation imaging, a method for tracking O2 release from individual RBCs. We demonstrated how O2-unloading depends critically on the shape and metabolic state of RBCs, providing a gauge of the blood’s physiological quality. Notably, our method described slower O2 unloading in spherocytic anaemias and in banked blood units. To verify significance, we showed how impaired O2 release from stored RBCs reduces oxygenation and respiration in perfused human kidneys. End-users of our technology are blood-banks (quality control, recipient-donor matching, guiding improvements in materials and methods) and clinicians (novel haematological traits, transfusion, transplant medicine). However, further data are required to re-affirm the medical utility and market for our novel parameter. Teaming with engineers and industry, this project will design and assemble three benchtop prototypes of our device for proof-of-concept testing in a blood bank (UK’s NHSBT), intensive care (Great Ormond St Hospital), and haematological research (Peru). Positive experience will make a compelling case for measuring O2-handling. Our ambition is to produce a next-generation haematology analyser as a spin-out, or for acquisition by a major commercial partner.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-POC
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.