Project description
Lab-scale soft X-ray microscope helps disease research and drug discovery
Soft X-ray Microscopy is the only imaging modality that allows researchers to generate high-resolution, high-contrast, 3D images of the entire internal structure of intact biological cells. Given that the illumination source required for a soft X-ray microscope is currently both extremely large and expensive, there are only a few facilities that can provide this imaging capability. This means that access for scientists has been very limited. Dublin start-up SiriusXT has developed and patented a miniaturised soft X-ray source, which has enabled the development of the first commercial lab-scale soft X-ray microscope and will open up access to soft X-ray microscopy. The EU-funded LICENT project will tap into the potential of this lab-scale microscope to reduce drug development and healthcare delivery costs.
Objective
Advances in drug discovery over the past twenty years have resulted in increased life expectancy and, ironically, have contributed to a 140% increase in EU healthcare costs, with patients suffering from diseases, such as cancer and dementia, now living longer. There is an ever-increasing need to understand disease causation and transmission mechanisms so these diseases can be prevented rather than just better-managed.
Changes in a cell’s shape and in the shape of its internal organelle, are important influencers on the cell signalling mechanisms that underpin disease causation. For this reason, 3D imaging of the internal structure of whole, intact, cells is playing an increasingly important role in helping scientists to understand diseases. The only technology available today that can image through and measure the whole substructure of a cell, without needing to slice it or stain it, is soft x-ray microscopy (SXM).
The problem is that the illumination required for a soft x-ray microscope is currently only available at four football-stadium sized facilities, called synchrotrons, and scientists have to queue for up to twelve months to get access to these. Despite this limitation, a small number of scientists have persisted with using the SXM technique and have made some very noteworthy breakthroughs in understanding disease causation and transmission.
SiriusXT’s innovation has been to develop and patent a miniaturised soft x-ray source, allowing it to build the first commercial, lab-scale, microscope. This breakthrough idea is revolutionising the cell imaging market by opening up access for a proven imaging modality to a target niche market of 3,000 organisations.
Project LICENT, aims to make a significant impact in helping reduce drug development and healthcare delivery costs. In so doing, it addresses specific objectives under the Horizon 2020 policy priority of ‘Societal Challenges’, which fall under the challenge of ‘Health, Demographic Change and Well Being’
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug discovery
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology cell signaling
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology dementia
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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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.
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2
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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) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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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.
A96 XV67 Dublin
Ireland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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.