Objective
Chemotherapy resistance remains a major obstacle in cancer treatment. In ovarian cancer, up to 50% of patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy fail to respond yet still experience severe toxicity and disease progression. Biomarkers, like homologous recombination deficiency scores, offer only partial predictive power because resistance often develops through adaptive mechanisms, including replication stress tolerance, secondary mutations, and DNA repair reprogramming, which static genetic tests cannot capture. There is an urgent clinical and market need for a functional diagnostic tool that can reliably predict therapy response early, by directly measuring therapy-specific effects in patient-tumor cells before treatment.
We have developed ChromStretch (CS), a patented single-molecule chromatin fiber assay that visualizes tumor cells response to replication stress induced by chemotherapy. By stretching chromatin fibers from patient-derived cells, CS detects drug-induced changes in two key biomarkers at sites of DNA replication, providing a direct functional readout of resistance potential. The test requires only a very small number of cells and delivers results within ~72 hours from fresh or liquid biopsy. Pilot experiments showed that CS predictions correlate with clinical outcomes, highlighting strong feasibility and translational potential.
The PRECISE project will validate CS in a prospective study of ovarian cancer patients. Objectives are to:(i)assess reproducibility and robustness across clinical samples;(ii)define biomarker positivity thresholds;(iii)correlate assay results with response and survival outcomes;(iv)explore valorization pathways, including prototype-kit development & early engagement with industrial partners.Successful completion will provide proof-of-concept for CS as a rapid, minimally invasive diagnostic to improve patient stratification, avoid ineffective treatments, & enable more personalized strategies in ovarian and other cancers.
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.
- engineering and technology materials engineering fibers
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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
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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-2025-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.
3015 GD Rotterdam
Netherlands
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.