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
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug discovery
- natural sciencesbiological sciencescell biologycell signaling
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopy
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologydementia
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncology
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
A96 XV67 Dublin
Ireland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.