Innovative assay for microRNAs analysis

Projektbeschreibung

Besserer Zugang zu modernster Diagnostik für verschiedenste Krankheiten

Da DNA und RNA hinreichend beschrieben und fast Smalltalk-Thema sind, wendet sich der wissenschafliche Fokus nun den microRNA (miRNA) zu. Seit ihrer zufälligen Entdeckung in den frühen neunziger Jahren wurden mehr als 2000 menschliche miRNA enthüllt, die etwa ein Drittel aller Gene regulieren. Diese kleinen RNA-Sequenzen sind nicht länger als etwa 25 Nukleotide und regulieren kritische Zellfunktionen wie Entwicklung, Differenzierung, Wachstum und Stoffwechsel. Eine gestörte miRNA-Funktion wurde bereits mit verschiedensten Krankheiten wie Krebs, Lebererkrankungen und Altersleiden in Verbindung gebracht. Das Projekt LIVELMIA bereitet nun die Kommerzialisierung seiner miRNA-Analysetechnologie vor und will damit weltweit die Einführung einer schnelleren und billigeren Diagnosetechnik in Kliniken und Krankenhäusern fördern.

Ziel

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of newly discovered biomolecules implicated in numerous biological systems and in common human diseases (e.g. cancer, Alzheimer, osteoarthritis). It has been shown that MiRNAs are biomarkers with great diagnostic and prognostic value. MiRNAs can be the next generation targets for diagnostics and therapeutics and this is reflected in the miRNA analysis market which is forecasted to have a CAGR of 23.4% in the coming years. Unfortunately, miRNAs are very difficult to detect and measure. The methods we have today are complex, expensive and time consuming. These limitations are restricting the use of miRNA in clinics and hospitals for diagnostic medicine.
LIVELMIA is an answer to these problems. We has succeeded in developing a disruptive innovative method for high-throughput miRNAs analyses, that allows a general improvement in terms of cost, easy-of-use and accuracy. We have cut down the time required by nearly a factor of 2, bringing the total analysis time down from 6 hours to 3 hours. Furthermore LIVELMIA has a high specificity making it ideal in diagnostics to ensure quality readings in any condition. LIVELMIA is a chemical assay kit for quantification of miRNAs on various types of samples (blood, biopsies, cells) with applications in the field of health research and diagnostics medicine. Our ultimate goal is helping biomedical researchers to improve miRNA studies and move miRNA analysis from laboratory to the clinic to bring profound benefits to public health.
Today we have a TRL6/7 prototype. We are gaining considerable interest from potential customers, dealers and stakeholders. We have filed for a patent in 2018 and we are now submitting this Phase 1 proposal in order to study the feasibility and develop a business plan for LIVELMIA, where we intend to study the best segments for exploitation, our pricing strategy, costs, etc.