ElectroMed · Project

Fast, Cheap Protein Screening Device for Precision Medicine and Food Safety

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Imagine you need to check someone's blood for hundreds of different proteins at once — today that requires big, expensive lab equipment and takes a long time. ElectroMed built a small, programmable chip that can electrically "write" protein-catching molecules onto a sensor surface and then instantly read what it catches. Think of it like a tiny, reprogrammable fishing net where you can change which proteins you're looking for on the fly. The team integrated everything — the molecule-making part, the sensing part, and the liquid-handling part — into one compact prototype device.

By the numbers

consortium partners across 6 countries

integrated µ-array proof-of-concept prototype delivered

total project deliverables

17%

industry participation ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Current protein screening for precision medicine requires large, expensive laboratory instruments that are slow and cannot be easily reprogrammed for different targets. This makes widespread protein-based diagnostics — for disease detection, drug response monitoring, or food safety — prohibitively expensive and impractical outside specialized labs. Companies in diagnostics, food safety, and biosecurity need a faster, cheaper, and more flexible alternative.

The solution

What was built

The team built a µ-array proof-of-concept prototype that integrates three components into a single device: a multiplexed electrochemical peptide synthesis (EPS) chip that can electrically create protein-catching molecules on demand, a multiplexed FinFET nano-sensor chip for high-sensitivity detection, and a microfluidic system for liquid handling. They also developed the accompanying software and investigated COVID-19 biomarker detection.

Audience

Who needs this

Diagnostic device manufacturers developing point-of-care protein testingClinical laboratories seeking to reduce protein screening costsFood testing companies needing multi-target contaminant detectionDefense and biosecurity agencies requiring rapid biological agent identificationPharmaceutical companies screening protein biomarkers for drug development

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Diagnostics & Clinical Laboratories

mid-size

Target: Diagnostic device manufacturers and clinical testing labs

If you are a diagnostic company struggling with slow, expensive protein screening that requires multiple instruments — this project developed a single compact microarray device integrating electrochemical peptide synthesis with FinFET sensors that can screen proteins in parallel. The prototype was validated in laboratory conditions and could replace multi-step workflows with one programmable platform.

Food Safety & Quality Testing

any

Target: Food testing laboratories and food manufacturers with in-house QC

If you are a food company dealing with allergen detection, GMO screening, or toxin monitoring across your supply chain — this project built a reprogrammable protein detection platform that can be adapted to detect food contaminants. The microfluidic design enables parallel screening of multiple targets in a single run, potentially cutting testing time and cost.

Defense & Biosecurity

enterprise

Target: Defense contractors and biosecurity agencies

If you are a defense or security organization needing rapid field detection of biological warfare agents — this project created a compact, multiplexed biosensor prototype that integrates peptide synthesis and detection in one device. The programmable nature means it can be reconfigured for different biological threats without hardware changes.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would this technology cost compared to current protein screening methods?

The project objective explicitly states the prototype is designed to be a 'faster, cheaper, and more efficient technology than current protein screening instruments.' However, no specific pricing data is available in the project records. Based on available project data, the cost advantage comes from integrating synthesis and detection into a single small device, eliminating the need for separate instruments.

Can this scale to industrial-level throughput?

The platform is designed for high-throughput multiplexed screening — meaning it can test for many proteins in parallel on a single chip. The µ-array proof-of-concept prototype integrates the FinFET sensor chip, the electrochemical peptide synthesis chip, and a microfluidic system into one device. Scaling to commercial production volumes would require further engineering beyond the current proof-of-concept stage.

What is the IP situation and how could a company license this?

The project was funded as an RIA (Research and Innovation Action) under Horizon 2020, with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology as coordinator. IP from EU-funded projects typically belongs to the consortium partners who generated it. A licensing discussion would need to go through the coordinator and relevant partners.

How far is this from a product I can actually buy?

The project delivered a µ-array proof-of-concept prototype validated in laboratory-relevant conditions. This is still at the laboratory demonstration stage, not a commercial product. Significant development — regulatory approval, manufacturing scale-up, and clinical validation — would be needed before market availability.

Could this integrate with existing laboratory workflows and equipment?

The design philosophy is a single compact instrument replacing multiple separate tools. The microfluidic-driven platform is self-contained, integrating peptide synthesis, sensing, and liquid handling. Based on available project data, integration with existing lab information systems would need to be developed during commercialization.

Was this tested on real clinical samples?

The objective states the prototype was validated in 'laboratory-relevant conditions.' The team also investigated COVID-19 related peptide biomarkers and diagnosis technology. However, the project data does not confirm testing on actual patient samples in a clinical setting.

What regulatory pathway would this need?

As a diagnostic device, this would need to go through regulatory approval — CE marking (IVDR) in Europe or FDA clearance in the US. Based on available project data, no regulatory submissions have been made. The current proof-of-concept stage is pre-regulatory.

Consortium

Who built it

The ElectroMed consortium brings together 6 partners from 6 countries (Denmark, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, UK), led by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology. The team is heavily academic — 4 universities and 1 research organization — with only 1 industry partner (which is also the sole SME), giving a 17% industry ratio. This is typical of FET Open frontier research: strong scientific depth but limited commercial pull. For a business looking to adopt this technology, the low industry involvement means commercialization would likely require a dedicated industrial partner to bridge the gap from lab prototype to market product.

LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYCoordinator · LU
UNIVERSIDAD POMPEU FABRAparticipant · ES
ELVESYSparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITEIT TWENTEparticipant · NL
KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Luxembourg — contact via project website or institutional channels

Order a report on this consortium See LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the ElectroMed team to discuss licensing or co-development? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the right people.

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