Project description
Vesicle imaging in liquid biopsies
Extracellular vesicles circulating in bodily fluids from different cells in the body carry valuable molecular information and are increasingly recognised as promising biomarkers for liquid-biopsy applications. Their analysis at the single-particle level is often required due to marked heterogeneity, but current fluorescence-based imaging platforms are complex and difficult to scale. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MetaScat project will develop an imaging platform that enables label-free, high-throughput analysis of vesicles. The sensitivity, compact form, low cost and scalability of this platform make it a promising tool in clinical diagnostics, supporting early disease detection.
Objective
Recent studies have confirmed that diagnostics based on liquid biopsy with single extracellular vesicle analysis reach sufficient clinical accuracy. The analysis at the single particle level is critical due to their clinically relevant heterogeneity. However, the current standard, fluorescence-based imaging platforms, cannot be scaled and require complex sample preparation.
To provide a label-free and scalable alternative to fluorescence-based microscopy for single extracellular vesicle analysis in liquid biopsy, this project will lead to the development of a metasurface-based integrated imaging platform that controls the image-contrast via nanophotonic resonances (MetaScat). The hypothesis is that MetaScat will enable the label-free detection of tiny refractive index changes induced by the binding of specific antibodies to the membranes of extracellular vesicles and extract information about their single-particle biomarker distributions with a low-cost, compact imaging device. Interferometric scattering microscopy (iScat) could provide the required sensitivity. However, conventional iScat relies on high numerical aperture objectives, inherently cannot be scaled, and is restricted to a small field of view. To overcome these limitations and enable the combination of high sensitivity and throughput with low complexity, dielectric metasurfaces will here enable a nanophotonic equivalent of numerical aperture filtering while also providing homogeneous signal enhancement for each particle. The extensive expertise of my host, NanoLab at the University of Trento (UNITN), in the integration of silicon photonic platforms and computation, will be critical for this project. In collaboration with the clinical environment I currently work in, MetaScat is designed to meet the need for scaling and implementing easy-to-use, low-cost technology for single extracellular vesicle analysis in clinical laboratories and enable a wider use for early disease detection.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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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.
38122 Trento
Italy
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.