Project description
3D histological analysis for detailed tumour microenvironment
Rapid and precise evaluation of biopsied tissues is critical for accurate disease diagnosis. While traditional 2D histopathology often lacks spatial resolution, 3D histopathology offers slide-free imaging and enhanced volumetric insights into critical structures. The ERC-funded 3D-SpatiOmics project aims to revolutionise cancer histology through an innovative nanobody-based approach, utilising non-destructive volumetric light-sheet microscopy. This cutting-edge technique will provide detailed spatial descriptions of the tumour microenvironment, enhancing tumour sample diagnoses and improving patient outcomes. The project will develop nanobodies for whole-mount tissue staining of the immune system and tumour markers. By employing cleavable fluorescent dyes and click chemistry, it will enable multiple rounds of multiplex staining on the same sample, paving the way for advanced diagnostic phenotyping.
Objective
For histopathological analysis and subsequent diagnosis of diseased tissues a rapid, accurate histopathological and genetic analysis of biopsied tissues are essential. However, traditional 2-dimensional slide-based histopathological analysis does not represent spatial tissue structures and molecular targets sufficiently, which aggravates an accurate and spatial analysis of tissue, a detailed description of the tumor microenvironment as well as patient stratification.
To overcome these limitations, I propose an innovative, nanobody-based 3D-histopathology approach using non-destructive volumetric lightsheet-microscopy. This approach bears the potential to revolutionize the way pathological analysis of tumor samples are done. In comparison to conventional 2D-pathology, non-destructive 3D-histopathology allows rapid slide-free histological imaging of an entire tissue sample, volumetric analysis of diagnostic relevant structures such as immune cells, vessels and an improved spatial analysis of cell distribution relevant to study e.g. the microenvironment.
To achieve this, we will generate nanobodies for improved wholemount tissue staining of the immune system as well as tumor-relevant markers. By labelling nanobodies with cleavable fluorescent dyes using click chemistry and integration of linkers for stoichiometric and directed labelling, we will be able to perform several rounds of multiplex staining of the identical sample and therefore provide cutting-edge diagnostic phenotyping of the specimen. Due to non-destructive nature of the optical-sectioning methodology, the sample is available for downstream applications such as molecular diagnostics of the previously imaged specimen.
In summary, this innovative project holds the great potential to revolutionize cancer histology by providing a spatial and detailed description of the tumor microenvironment, improving diagnosis of tumor samples and consequently patient stratification and outcome.
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- engineering and technology medical engineering diagnostic imaging
- natural sciences biological sciences histology
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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.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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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
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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
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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.
10117 Berlin
Germany
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