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Suspended Fluidic nanochannels as optomechanical sensors for single molecules

Objective

Early detection of cancer saves lives: the survival rate increases from 10% to 90%. Today, there is a lack of methods for the early detection of different types of cancer. The main challenge is that a large variety of specific biomarkers have to be counted, and usually at extremely low concentrations.
Here we will use smart nanoengineering to develop a versatile sensing platform that detects, identifies and counts single molecules, one by one, in a non-purified solution. The main novelty of the proposal is that the platform will integrate optical sensing beyond diffraction (for biochemical recognition) and on-chip molecular mass sensing (to discard non-specific binding events). For this, we will suspend state-of-the-art nanochannels and integrate them with plasmonic nano-antennas. This will make for a versatile, universal test, cheap enough to be used for preventive screening. It will help diagnosing different types of cancers earlier.
We will detect and identify oncoviruses capsides, different protein biomarkers and microRNA in plasma. These are very high impact proof of concepts with clinical relevance.
Dr. Fernandez-Cuesta has expertise in single molecule sensing and has worked in multiple international, interdisciplinary environments. She is expert in nanofabrication and plasmonics for (bio)sensing. She benefited from an IOF Marie Curie. She became CEO and co-founder of a start-up, dedicated to on-chip Raman spectroscopy for environmental monitoring of biotoxins concentration in fresh water.
Currently, she is at the department for Applied Physics at the University of Hamburg. There, there is state-of-the-art instrumentation for nanofabrication. The collaborators at Hamburg University Klinikum Eppendorf have expertise in applying research to medicine. This interdisciplinary environment is ideal for starting a new field in combined plasmonics and mass sensing with a focus on nanotechnology for bioapplications of clinical relevance.

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Topic(s)

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ERC-STG - Starting Grant

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2016-STG

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Host institution

UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 1 500 000,00
Address
MITTELWEG 177
20148 Hamburg
Germany

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Region
Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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.

€ 1 500 000,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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