Project description
Bacterial detection of colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Unfortunately, screening methods often miss early-stage colorectal cancer or mistake it for benign conditions. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the GUT-SCAN project aims to solve this. It is engineering a living bacterial system that can survive in the gut and detect colorectal cancer biomarkers directly inside the body. The project’s goal is to turn a safe gut bacterium into a biosensor that identifies disease signals in real time. GUT-SCAN will work to ultimately enable earlier and more accurate cancer detection via low-cost, large-scale screening.
Objective
Colorectal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the European Union, claiming over 158,956 lives in 2022 alone. Despite its slow progression—typically over 10-15 years—early detection remains a major challenge. Current screening programs primarily rely on Fecal Immunochemical Tests, which detect hidden blood in stool. However, these tests often fail to identify non-bleeding cancers and can yield false positives due to benign lesions like polyps. Here, I hypothesize that engineering a living bacterial platform can enable on-site detection of colorectal cancer-specific biomarkers within the gastrointestinal tract. To achieve this, the system should ideally: i) utilize adequate bacterial models capable of persisting in the gastrointestinal tract, and ii) develop a robust platform for detecting biomarkers. In this project, I will use my expertise in bacterial engineering focused on clinical applications to transform a safe, abundant and genetically tractable gut-commensal into a microbial-based diagnostic tool. This platform will offer a low-cost, scalable solution for mass screening campaigns—not only for colorectal cancer. This innovation, therefore, has broad translational potential and will pave the way to a new frontier in microbial-based diagnostic tools and bacterial-based therapies.
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.
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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)
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Topic(s)
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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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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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.
9052 ZWIJNAARDE - GENT
Belgium
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.