CanBioSe · Project

Portable Optical Biosensor for Early-Stage Cancer Detection Using Nanostructures

healthPrototypeTRL 3Thin data (2/5)

canbiose.lu.lv

Imagine a tiny sensor coated with specially designed nanoparticles that can spot cancer cells in a blood sample — like a pregnancy test, but for leukemia. The team built ultra-thin fibers and coated them with metal oxide layers and gold nanoparticles that light up differently when cancer cells stick to them. They then connected this sensor to a miniature liquid-handling chip so the whole system could eventually fit in a doctor's office instead of a full laboratory. The work focused on two types of blood cancer: chronic lymphocyte leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries involved

SME partners in consortium

53%

industry partner ratio

EUR 1,116,000

EU contribution

scientific seminars conducted

total deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Early detection of blood cancers like leukemia currently requires expensive lab equipment, trained technicians, and days of waiting for results. Clinics and smaller hospitals often lack the resources for fast, on-site screening, meaning patients face delays that can affect treatment outcomes. A portable, affordable detection tool could move leukemia screening closer to the patient and cut diagnostic turnaround dramatically.

The solution

What was built

The project developed nanostructured optical biosensors using metal oxide-coated nanofibers (ZnO, Al2O3, gold nanoparticles) deposited via electrospinning and Atomic Layer Deposition. These biosensors were functionalized with specific antibodies and tested for detection of chronic lymphocyte leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells, with integration into a microfluidic system for miniaturization.

Audience

Who needs this

IVD diagnostic device manufacturers developing point-of-care cancer screening toolsPortable medical device companies looking for next-generation biosensor platformsClinical research organizations needing rapid on-site leukemia cell detectionHospital laboratory equipment suppliers seeking compact diagnostic alternativesBiotech startups focused on optical biosensor commercialization

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Medical diagnostics

mid-size

Target: IVD (in-vitro diagnostics) device manufacturers

If you are a diagnostics company looking for a faster, cheaper way to screen for blood cancers — this project developed an optical biosensor based on metal oxide nanostructures integrated with a microfluidic chip. With 8 SME partners already involved and testing performed on chronic lymphocyte leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells, the technology could shorten the path from blood draw to result without expensive lab equipment.

Point-of-care testing

SME

Target: Portable medical device companies

If you are a point-of-care device maker struggling with the size and cost of cancer screening tools — this project aimed to miniaturize biosensor detection into a portable format using microfluidics. The consortium of 15 partners across 9 countries combined expertise in nanotechnology, surface functionalization, and bioengineering to build a compact detection system.

Pharmaceutical & clinical research

enterprise

Target: CROs and pharma companies running oncology trials

If you are a clinical research organization that needs rapid, on-site leukemia cell detection for patient screening — this biosensor uses photoluminescence and optical spectroscopy to record signals from antibody-tagged cancer cells. The sensor surface is functionalized with specific antibodies, making it adaptable to different cell markers relevant to your trial protocols.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would a biosensor unit cost to produce?

The project data does not include unit cost estimates or manufacturing cost projections. The total EU contribution was EUR 1,116,000 spread across 15 partners over 6 years, primarily for research and staff exchange rather than production line development. Any cost-per-unit figure would require further development work.

Can this be manufactured at industrial scale?

Based on available project data, the core fabrication methods — electrospinning for nanofibers and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) for metal oxide coatings — are established industrial processes. However, no deliverables mention scaling up production or pilot manufacturing. Moving from lab-scale to volume production would require significant additional investment.

Who owns the intellectual property?

The project was funded under MSCA-RISE, which is a staff exchange program. IP ownership typically follows the Horizon 2020 grant agreement rules, meaning each partner owns the results it generates. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE as coordinator and the relevant consortium partners.

Has the biosensor been tested on real patient samples?

The objective states biosensor testing was performed on cancer cells, specifically human chronic lymphocyte leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. However, deliverables focus on dissemination (seminars, publications, workshops) rather than clinical validation results. There is no evidence of regulatory trials or clinical-grade testing from the available data.

How long until this could be a commercial product?

Based on the project's research-stage deliverables and MSCA-RISE funding scheme (focused on knowledge exchange rather than product development), commercialization would likely require several more years of engineering, clinical validation, and regulatory approval. The 8 industry partners in the consortium could accelerate this timeline if further funding is secured.

What makes this different from existing cancer detection methods?

The technology combines 1D metal oxide nanostructures with optical detection and microfluidics for a portable format, aiming to move leukemia screening from centralized labs to point-of-care settings. The use of photoluminescence and optical spectroscopy for signal recording is designed to be simpler than current flow cytometry or biopsy-based approaches.

Consortium

Who built it

The CanBioSe consortium is unusually industry-heavy for a research exchange project, with 8 out of 15 partners (53%) coming from industry and all 8 classified as SMEs. This spread across 9 countries (Latvia, France, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine) brings a mix of Western European technical capability and Eastern European cost efficiency. The coordinator, LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE, is an academic institution rather than a commercial entity, which is typical for MSCA-RISE grants. For a business looking to license or co-develop this technology, the high SME involvement suggests multiple potential commercialization partners already familiar with the work, but the research-exchange nature of the funding means no single partner was tasked with bringing a product to market.

LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATECoordinator · LV
NANOPHARMA ASparticipant · CZ
UNIWERSYTET IM. ADAMA MICKIEWICZA WPOZNANIUparticipant · PL
ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DE CHIMIE DE MONTPELLIERparticipant · FR
VILNIAUS UNIVERSITETASparticipant · LT
FONDAZIONE BRUNO KESSLERparticipant · IT
BIOSENSOR SRLparticipant · IT
MATERIALS RESEARCH CENTERparticipant · UA
NANO PRIME SPOLKA Z OGRANICZONA ODPOWIEDZIALNOSCIAparticipant · PL

How to reach the team

LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE, Latvia — search for CanBioSe project lead at University of Latvia Faculty of Chemistry or Physics

Order a report on this consortium See LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing this biosensor technology or connecting with the consortium's SME partners? SciTransfer can arrange a targeted introduction to the right team members.

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