Project description
How QR-coded microneedles could detect Alzheimer’s early
By the time Alzheimer’s symptoms appear, the disease has often been progressing for decades, placing an immense burden on families and healthcare systems. The EIC-funded ALERT project aims to diagnose sooner. Specifically, it will develop microneedle patches that scan for disease markers in real time. The smart needles are QR-coded and can measure multiple disease biomarkers directly from the plasma just beneath the skin. There is no need for complex calibration since the needles translate biomarker levels into a digital code that switches on or off when specific clinical thresholds are met. While the project’s immediate focus is the early detection of Alzheimer’s, it offers a scalable blueprint for tracking everything from sepsis to cancer.
Objective
"ALERT introduces a groundbreaking leap in medical diagnostics, redefining in-vivo sensing with a pioneering digital approach. This revolutionary technology centers on multianalyte digital sensing via QR-coded microneedles—engineered for minimally invasive, highly accurate, and real-time measurement of critical disease biomarkers directly from plasma beneath the skin.
Seamlessly integrating digital innovation with advanced biomedical sensing, ALERT’s microneedles encode biomarker data into a scannable digital QR code, enabling instant and precise diagnostics. These microneedles operate through a unique binary fluorescence mechanism, switching distinctly ""on"" or ""off"" when biomarker concentrations cross predefined clinical thresholds. This digital paradigm eradicates the need for external calibration—a key limitation of traditional analog chemical sensors—ensuring enhanced accuracy, reliability, and ease of use in real-world applications.
With a main focus on early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), ALERT tackles a pressing global health challenge, particularly urgent given the rapidly aging population. AD often remains clinically undetected for 15 to 20 years, making early diagnosis crucial for improving patient outcomes and reducing the immense social and economic burdens of late-stage management. ALERT's approach includes rigorous validation in animal models, well-defined Key Performance Indicators, advanced material synthesis, cutting-edge device fabrication, and proactive risk mitigation strategies.
Beyond revolutionizing AD diagnostics, ALERT’s digital QR-code microneedle platform holds vast potential for broader medical applications, including early detection of cancer, sepsis, and infectious diseases. Its adaptability extends even further, with applications in environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, and food safety."
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.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
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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.
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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) HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDEROPEN
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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.
56126 Pisa
Italy
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.