Project description DEENESFRITPL Novel mass spectrometry technique to assess reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes The vaginal microbiome (VM) plays an important role in reproductive health, with studies showing that dysbiosis can result in bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections and premature birth. The current methods of VM analysis are time-consuming and expensive. The EU-funded MUMVIP project is introducing a desorption ionisation mass spectrometry technique for the characterisation of the VM based upon metabolomic analysis. The researchers have successfully demonstrated this technique in a range of applications. The goal of the current project is to finalise the commercial development of the method as a diagnostic tool, assessing its potential applications in in vitro fertilisation treatments and patient stratification in cases of preterm birth. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective There is ever increasing evidence that the vaginal microbiome plays an important role in reproductive health. Studies have shown that dysbiotic states can culminate in bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections and premature birth. Although the microbiome is usually characterised by 16S rRNA sequencing, the methodology is time consuming and expensive. Here we describe the development of a desorption ionisation mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) based technique which characterises microbial community structures based upon metabolomic analysis. The technique has been successfully demonstrated for a range of applications and here we describe its commercial development as a diagnostic tool, firstly, for assessing the potential success rates of in vitro fertilisation treatments and, secondly, for stratifying patients at higher risk of pre-term birth. During the first 12 months of the project the technology will be assessed using a unique sample set collected as part of two longitudinal cohort studies. During the later stages a thorough market assessment will be performed to identify the addressable demand and to evaluate market competitors. It is envisioned that this information will allow an in depth business case, including our current intellectual property position, to be written, from which further funding can be obtained for the eventual creation of a spin out company. Fields of science medical and health sciencesclinical medicineurologymedical and health scienceshealth sciencessocial biomedical sciencessexual healthnatural scienceschemical sciencesanalytical chemistrymass spectrometrynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2018-PoC - ERC Proof of Concept Grant Call for proposal ERC-2018-PoC See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant Coordinator IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE Net EU contribution € 149 633,00 Address South kensington campus exhibition road SW7 2AZ London GB See on map Region London Inner London — West Westminster Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE GB Net EU contribution € 149 633,00 Address South kensington campus exhibition road SW7 2AZ London See on map Region London Inner London — West Westminster Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
