CHROMAVISION · Project

Super-Detailed Chromosome Imaging Platform for Cancer and Genetic Disease Research

healthTestedTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

Imagine trying to find a typo in a book, but the print is so tiny you can't read it even with a magnifying glass. That's the problem scientists face with chromosomes — the packages of DNA inside our cells that, when damaged, cause cancer, infertility, and genetic disorders. CHROMAVISION built a new kind of microscope combined with a tiny chip that can grab a single cell, crack it open, pick out individual chromosomes, and view them in 3D at a resolution never achieved before. It's like upgrading from a blurry security camera to an ultra-HD one, but for the building blocks of life.

By the numbers

EUR 3,567,025

EU funding for platform development

consortium partners across 3 countries

total project deliverables produced

CTFM-SR3D instruments built (including one shippable)

LOC device format options developed (all-polymer, hybrid glass-polymer, modular)

The business problem

What needed solving

Chromosomal abnormalities drive many serious diseases — cancer, age-related infertility, and genetic disorders like fragile X syndrome — but current microscopy tools cannot image chromosomes at high enough resolution or manipulate them in real time. Researchers and diagnostic labs are stuck with decades-old techniques that provide blurry, static snapshots, making it difficult to understand how chromosomal errors actually cause disease or to monitor cancer heterogeneity at the cellular level.

The solution

What was built

CHROMAVISION built two complete super-resolution microscope instruments (CTFM-SR3D) capable of 3D real-time chromosome imaging and manipulation, plus lab-on-a-chip devices for automated single-cell capture, lysis, and chromosome isolation. The second instrument was specifically engineered to be robust and user-friendly enough for independent use at partner universities in biological and clinical research settings.

Audience

Who needs this

Pharmaceutical companies researching cancer drugs targeting chromosomal abnormalitiesClinical genetics labs performing prenatal screening or cancer cytogeneticsScientific instrument manufacturers in the super-resolution microscopy marketFertility clinics investigating chromosome nondisjunction in maternal agingBiotech startups developing liquid biopsy or single-cell analysis platforms

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceutical & Biotech

enterprise

Target: Drug discovery companies and biotech firms developing therapies for cancer or genetic disorders

If you are a pharma company developing drugs that target chromosomal abnormalities in cancer — this project built a super-resolution microscope platform (CTFM-SR3D) that lets you observe and physically manipulate individual chromosomes in 3D under near-real conditions. This means you can test how your drug candidates affect chromosome structure at a level of detail that was previously impossible, potentially cutting years off your R&D cycle.

Clinical Diagnostics

mid-size

Target: Diagnostic labs and pathology companies specializing in cancer or prenatal screening

If you are a diagnostic lab dealing with cancer heterogeneity monitoring or prenatal genetic screening — this project developed a lab-on-a-chip device that can automatically isolate chromosomes from small tissue or cell samples. Instead of manual, error-prone sample preparation, the opto-fluidic chip traps, visualizes, and lyses individual cells, delivering clean chromosome samples ready for high-resolution analysis.

Scientific Instruments

enterprise

Target: Microscopy and life science instrument manufacturers

If you are a scientific instrument company looking to expand into super-resolution chromosome analysis — this project produced a second-generation CTFM-SR3D instrument robust enough to ship to partner universities for independent use. The platform integrates optical tweezers, STED imaging, and microfluidic sample preparation into a single workflow, representing a potential new product line for the growing super-resolution microscopy market.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access or license this technology?

The project received EUR 3,567,025 in EU funding across 5 partners over 4 years. Licensing terms are not publicly available. Companies interested in the platform should contact the coordinator (Stichting VU, Netherlands) directly for commercial licensing or collaboration terms.

Can this scale to industrial or clinical use?

The project built two CTFM-SR3D instruments — the second specifically designed to be robust and user-friendly enough for biological or clinical research settings. The lab-on-a-chip component was developed in polymer formats for potential mass production. However, the platform was validated in research labs, not yet in clinical production environments.

What is the IP situation and who owns the technology?

IP generated during the project is governed by the Horizon 2020 grant agreement. The coordinator Stichting VU (Netherlands) and industrial partner LUMICKS would hold key IP rights. Based on available project data, specific patents are not listed in the deliverables provided.

How does this compare to existing chromosome analysis methods?

Current methods like FISH or conventional karyotyping offer limited resolution and cannot manipulate chromosomes in real time. CHROMAVISION's CTFM-SR3D is the first instrument to combine 3D super-resolution imaging with physical chromosome manipulation under near-physiological conditions, enabling studies that were previously impossible.

What diseases or conditions does this address?

The project specifically targets chromosomal abnormalities linked to cancer, impaired fertility due to maternal aging (particularly in women over 35), and neurological disorders such as fragile X syndrome. The platform enables researchers to study these conditions at unprecedented chromosome-level detail.

How long until this could be deployed in a real lab?

The project closed in 2019 with a validated second-generation instrument already operating at partner universities (UCPH and UCL). Based on available project data, the instrument is research-ready but would need further engineering and regulatory work for routine clinical deployment.

Consortium

Who built it

The CHROMAVISION consortium consists of 5 partners from 3 countries (Denmark, Netherlands, UK), with 4 universities and 1 industrial partner. The industry ratio is 20%, with 1 SME in the consortium. The coordinator is Stichting VU in the Netherlands, a major research university. The presence of LUMICKS as an industrial partner is significant — they specialize in optical tweezers instrumentation and represent a realistic commercialization pathway. However, the consortium is heavily academic (80%), which means the technology may need additional industrial partnerships to reach market deployment.

STICHTING VUCoordinator · NL
LUMICKS BVparticipant · NL
KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Stichting VU (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Netherlands — contact via university technology transfer office

Order a report on this consortium See STICHTING VU profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the CHROMAVISION platform or connecting with the research team? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and provide a detailed technology brief.

Order a report on this topic More in Health & Biomedical