MASSTRPLAN · Project

New Diagnostic Tools to Detect Disease Markers in Blood Using Advanced Mass Spectrometry

healthPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

When your body fights inflammation — from diabetes, heart disease, or cancer — certain fats and proteins in your cells get damaged by oxidation, like metal rusting. The problem is, detecting these "rusted" molecules in a blood sample is extremely hard because they come in many different forms. This project built specialized software tools and lab protocols that can reliably spot these damaged molecules using high-precision analytical instruments. Think of it as giving doctors a much sharper magnifying glass to catch disease signals that current tests miss entirely.

By the numbers

47%

of deaths in Europe attributed to cardiovascular disease

€196 billion

annual cost of CVD to the EU economy

consortium partners across multiple sectors

industry partners in the consortium

countries represented in the consortium

bioinformatics tools developed (for oxPLs and oxPTMs)

The business problem

What needed solving

Chronic inflammatory diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease cost the EU €196 billion per year in healthcare and lost productivity from CVD alone. Current diagnostic methods cannot reliably detect the oxidized fats and proteins that signal disease progression, meaning doctors catch these conditions too late when treatment is expensive and less effective.

The solution

What was built

The project built two bioinformatics software tools — one for analyzing oxidized phospholipids (oxPLs) and one for oxidized protein modifications (oxPTMs). It also produced validated LC-MS protocols for detecting oxidized biomolecules and protocols for novel chemical labeling techniques, totaling 23 deliverables across the consortium.

Audience

Who needs this

In vitro diagnostics companies developing blood-based screening testsPharmaceutical companies researching anti-inflammatory drug targetsClinical laboratories offering specialized biomarker analysisMass spectrometry instrument manufacturers seeking clinical applicationsBiotech startups developing precision medicine platforms

Business applications

Who can put this to work

In Vitro Diagnostics

mid-size

Target: Diagnostic kit manufacturers developing blood-based disease screening products

If you are a diagnostic company struggling to detect reliable biomarkers for cardiovascular disease or diabetes — this project developed bioinformatics tools for identifying oxidized phospholipids and validated LC-MS protocols that can detect these disease-linked molecules in clinical samples. With CVD responsible for 47% of deaths in Europe, early detection tools have massive market potential.

Pharmaceutical & Biotech

enterprise

Target: Drug development companies working on anti-inflammatory therapies

If you are a pharma company developing treatments for chronic inflammatory conditions — this project created protocols for novel chemical labeling of oxidized biomolecules and bioinformatics tools that map how these modifications cause cell dysfunction. These tools let you identify new drug targets and measure whether your drug candidates actually reduce the oxidative damage driving disease.

Analytical Instruments & Reagents

enterprise

Target: Mass spectrometry instrument and consumables manufacturers

If you are an analytical instruments company looking to expand into clinical diagnostics — this project produced validated LC-MS protocols and bioinformatics software specifically designed for detecting oxidized phospholipids and protein modifications. These ready-made workflows can be packaged as application kits for your existing instrument platforms, opening the clinical market.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or access these tools?

The project produced open bioinformatics tools and published protocols. Licensing terms would need to be discussed directly with the coordinator (Aston University) and relevant partner institutions. As a training network, many outputs may be openly available through academic publications.

Can these protocols work at industrial scale in a clinical lab?

The project developed validated LC-MS protocols and bioinformatics tools designed for biological and clinical samples. However, as a research training network, these are research-grade protocols that would require further validation and standardization before routine clinical deployment. The strong industry involvement (14 out of 26 partners) suggests some industry-readiness consideration.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP is shared among the 26 consortium partners across 9 countries, with Aston University as coordinator. The consortium includes 14 industry partners, so commercial licensing pathways likely exist. Specific IP terms would depend on the consortium agreement and which partner developed each tool.

How does this compare to existing diagnostic methods?

Current clinical tests cannot reliably detect oxidized phospholipids and protein modifications that signal inflammatory disease progression. The project's tools specifically target these hard-to-detect molecular changes, offering diagnostic capabilities that standard blood panels lack entirely.

What evidence supports clinical relevance?

The project objective cites that cardiovascular disease alone is responsible for 47% of deaths and costs the EU €196 billion per year. The tools detect oxidative modifications directly linked to inflammation in diabetes, CVD, and cancer. Clinical sample analysis was part of the project scope.

Is there ongoing support or development?

The project ended in September 2019. The project website (masstrplan.org) and the trained researcher network may still be active. Ongoing development would depend on follow-up funding or commercial partnerships with the consortium's industry partners.

What is the timeline to get from current state to a commercial product?

Based on available project data, the bioinformatics tools and protocols exist as research outputs. Moving to a commercial diagnostic product would require clinical validation studies, regulatory approval, and manufacturing scale-up — typically a multi-year process. The protocols themselves could be adopted faster by analytical service labs.

Consortium

Who built it

The MASSTRPLAN consortium is notably large with 26 partners across 9 countries, and has a strong industry orientation with 14 industry partners making up 54% of the consortium. This is unusual for a training network and signals genuine commercial interest in the analytical tools being developed. The consortium includes 6 universities, 2 research organizations, and 2 SMEs, spanning Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and the UK. For a business looking to adopt these tools, the wide geographic spread means potential local partners in most major EU markets, and the heavy industry participation suggests the protocols were developed with practical application in mind, not just academic interest.

ASTON UNIVERSITYCoordinator · UK
MICROMASS UK LTDpartner · UK
AB SCIEX UK LIMITEDpartner · UK
DSM FOOD SPECIALTIES BVpartner · NL
ELSEVIER BVpartner · NL
UNIVERSITAET LEIPZIGparticipant · DE
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICASparticipant · ES
DSM Nutritional Products Ltdpartner · CH
UNIDADE LOCAL DE SAUDE DE COIMBRA EPEparticipant · PT
UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIROparticipant · PT
THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC (BREMEN) GMBHparticipant · DE
VIB VZWparticipant · BE
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANOparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITATKLINIKUM LEIPZIGpartner · DE

How to reach the team

Aston University (Birmingham, UK) — contact through university research office or project website

Order a report on this consortium See ASTON UNIVERSITY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

SciTransfer can connect you with the MASSTRPLAN team to explore licensing their bioinformatics tools or adopting their validated protocols for your diagnostic or analytical workflow.

Order a report on this topic More in Health & Biomedical