MI-SCAN · A rapid non-invasive on-chip miRNA-based Sputum Assay for early stage Lung Cancer Screening

A rapid non-invasive on-chip miRNA-based Sputum Assay for early stage Lung Cancer Screening

The all-embracing aim of MI-SCAN is to get up and go beyond current abilities to advance a novel disruptive technology to drive lung cancer screening toward personalized treatment, with possible applications to fast-track the discovery of therapeutic targets and biomarkers for lung cancer through the study of practicable miRNA and Surface enhancer Raman Scattering (SERS) technology application. The objective of MI-SCAN is to develop a portable point-of-care (PoC) device with the capacity to detect multiple miRNA biomarkers present in the Sputum sample of lung cancer patients. The developed methodology will open the way to develop a clinically validated approach for early-stage diagnosis of lung cancer. • What is the problem/issue being addressed? Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in the world accounting serious number deaths, every year. It is well known that genetic damages could result in lung tumorigenesis. Despite years of research, the survival rate of the patients has not been markedly improved. Due to lack of high sensitivity and specificity in early-stage diagnostic tests, just about 15–20% of lung cancer cases are discovered prior to progression of the disease. The proposed research addressed the issue by application of Micro-RNA (miRNA) bioassay on a microfluidic chip combined with Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The goal of the project is achieved by developing the methodology for screening of miRNA biomarker on-chip and screening out the responsible target biomarker for lung cancer. The developed approach has the potential to address the issue of early diagnosis and With proper validation, it can be applied to the public system for annual health checks. • Why is it important for society? Presently in our hospitals gold standard diagnostic methods for lung cancer are used such as X-ray, low-dose CT scan, and sputum cytology, which are not very efficient in diagnosing lung cancer at early stages. Other techniques like, fluorescence bronchoscopy improves the detection of lung tumor, but it needs expert doctors and is an invasive method that cannot be applied for regular checkups. The developed approach uses a non-invasive sample that can easily obtained from patients or from health personnel. It does not require any very technical and expert person to operate and need no hospital facility or admission. This will help society to be implied for regular health checks and easy access to high-end early-stage cancer detection. • What are the overall objectives? The objectives of MI-SCAN were to develop a novel technology to perform early-stage diagnostics towards personalized diagnostics, with possible applications to fast-track cancer screening and treatment. The major goals are addressed by individual objectives in consecutive steps: • Selection of best panel miRNA biomarkers for early-stage lung cancer identification. • Development of a microfluidic chip for the detection of target miRNA biomarkers in sputum samples using SERS detection, • Optimize miRNA detection using SERS. • Validation of developed microfluidic chip for early-stage detection and patient stratification for lung cancer.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз