Project description
Nerve-specific fluorescence tracers for image guided surgery
The surgical management of prostate cancer patients involves robotic surgery and laparoscopic devices, requiring exceptional accuracy in tumour resection and the ability to preserve the nerves to prevent erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. The nerves are not visible to the naked eye and the image-guided surgery depends on access to the nerve-specific fluorescence tracers, enabling the visualisation of peripheral nerves and creating nerve-sparing capabilities. The ERC-funded AUTO NERVE project aims to convert the previously discovered autonomic-nerve targeted lead compound into a fluorescence tracer. The study will focus on systematically fine-tuning this compound, optimising the structure-activity relationship, and providing the opportunity for future commercialisation.
Objective
"""As a common disease in western men, prostate cancer is a major driver for the billion-euro robotic surgery and laparoscopic devices markets. In the surgical management of prostate cancer patients, next to the tumor resection accuracy, the surgeon’s ability to preserve the nerve-network and prevent erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, is key. As these nerves are not visible by eye, image guided surgery approaches aimed at nerve-sparing demand the clinical availability of nerve-specific fluorescence tracers. Hereby it is expected that the ability to visualize peripheral nerves promotes nerve-sparing opportunities and opens up new commercial-avenues for companies involved in the surgical market. Previously my ILLUMINATING NERVES ERC-StG yielded a sensory-nerve targeted lead-compound that was made suitable for imaging somatic-nerves (MY NERVE ERC-PoC). This tracer, however, does not allow for imaging of the autonomic nerves. For autonomic nerves I have now shown, within the same ERC-StG, that an alternative tracer can be used as an imaging target. The aim of the AUTO NERVE ERC-PoC project is to convert the autonomic-nerve targeted lead-compound into a fluorescence tracer. Systematic fine-tuning of this lead will optimize the structure-activity relation and will improve the chance of future commercialization. Ultimately, the outcome of the three complementary ERC-grants should yield an advancement in clinical care.”"
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology prostate cancer
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine surgery robotic surgery
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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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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant
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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-2017-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.
2333 ZA Leiden
Netherlands
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