ENGCABRA

Biomedical engineering for cancer and brain disease diagnosis and therapy development

 Partecipanti

Mappa

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'In the understanding of the initiation and development of several diseases revolutionary changes are currently taking place. Cancer and brain diseases are examples of medical fields where new technologies are finding their way into research and applications, radically altering the way the diseases are being diagnosed and treated. Especially methods that yield information on molecular and cellular mechanisms open up the way for novel effective therapies for disease prevention and disease curing. The aim of this ITN is to conduct training and research in the field of novel bio-analytical methods and tools for cell based diseases, in specific for severe cancers and brain diseases. These methods and tools should allow faster and more reliable diagnosis, but are also of great importance for therapy research leading to novel treatment methods. This ITN combines disciplines such as engineering, biotechnology, medicine, and chip-technology and the consortium covers universities, hospitals and industry. The functionality of the devices is determined by the type of measurements that need to be performed, therefore we will focus on a few specific diseases: our cancer research will be aimed at skin cancer (melanoma) and blood cancer (leukaemia), and the part on brain diseases will focus on schizophrenia. Although we will direct our activities towards these three diseases in particular, we expect that the research (methods, devices, and technology) will also have impact on the understanding of other cancer types and other brain diseases.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Cancer and brain diseases are examples of medical fields where new technologies radically alter the way the diseases are being diagnosed and treated.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Methods that yield information on molecular and cellular mechanisms could provide novel and effective options for disease prevention and cure.

The aim of the four-year EU-funded 'Biomedical engineering for cancer and brain disease diagnosis and therapy development' (http://www.engcabra.eu (ENGCABRA)) project is to conduct training and research in the field of novel bio-analytical methods and tools for cell-based diseases. This consortium includes 9 members from 6 European countries with the requisite expertise.

The ENGCABRA consortium investigated different sensor elements for potential application in diagnostics and analysis.

For instance, the infrared sensor has recently been applied for patient biopsies and showed significant differences between diseased and healthy tissues. Additionally, researchers demonstrated for the first time that the effect of endocytosis on the plasma membrane is measurable by the impedance approach.

Cell morphology changes after cholesterol reduction and anti-cancer drug treatments were detected using infrared sensor system by assessing the stretch ratio. This sensor system has also demonstrated the potential to improve on therapies that affect the morphology of the cells.

A new sample preparation system for organ culture of hippocampus slices directly on array chips has been developed, and is currently being tested. Plasma extraction was performed in a microfluidic device. The research on a chip for the detection of cancer cells in lymph fluid has just started.

The biological research performed within this project generates fundamental insights into the signal output of brain cells and circuits.

Electro-active cells, the most prominent of which include heart and brain cells, are affected in more than 80% of all diseases worldwide.

Therefore, the microelectronic system itself and the know-how it generates will pave the way for many follow-up applications.