RealCare is a cutting-edge research initiative focused on developing and validating next-generation point-of-care (PoC) systems that detect essential biomarkers in human biofluids in real-time.
These systems are designed to be compact, energy-efficient, and integrated with extended reality interfaces, with a specific emphasis on cancer and cardiac diseases in demanding clinical settings.
The RealCare consortium consists of partners with very different expertise. To ensure that the clinical requirements are met, three excellent hospitals are on board. For the lung cancer medical use case, Institut Gustave Roussy and its subsidiary Fondation Hôpital Saint-Joseph are the partners, as they specialise in lung cancer surgery and treatment and are world leaders in this field. Charité, one of the largest university hospitals in Europe, is a leading university hospital and will take care of the cardiovascular medical use case.
Technology development will be carried out by EPFL, Politehnica University of Bucharest and University of Twente in close collaboration with EPOS, Xsensio, Stichting IMEC Nederland and CEA. The universities are focusing on developing innovative technologies to be able to measure the biomarkers of interest. EPFL is one of the top 20 universities in the world and hosts the Nanoelectronic Devices Laboratory (NANOLAB), which focusses on the technology, design and modelling of low-power, solid-state devices and sensors at the nanoscale and their integration into smart micro/nano systems. At RealCare, they will take the lead in developing multimodal sensors. University of Twente is one of the technical universities in the Netherlands and is known for its research valorisation. University of Twente is home to the MESA+ Nanolab, a world-class cleanroom that enables the fabrication of microfluidic chips. University of Twente will coordinate RealCare and develop the CRISPR assay on the chip. the Center for Microscopy-Microanalysis and Information Processing at the Politehnica University of Bucharest is a top Romanian research institute whose expertise in AFM and apertureless SNOM will be of great value to RealCare.
Companies play a key role in accelerating research conducted at universities into a product by incorporating and integrating university and in-house research into their technology. EPOS is a dynamic nano-biotech SME in Cyprus with expertise in translational nanotheranostics, molecular imaging and cell-based technologies for faster diagnosis and better prognosis, and is responsible for the bio-amplifier. Xsensio is an innovation-driven Swiss company focussed on the development of wearable biosensors for continuous monitoring, with an emphasis on miniSPR development.
Stichting IMEC Nederland is a non-profit open innovation research centre that is part of the Holst Centre. Their expertise in the field of non-contact sensor technology is being used to make it useful for monitoring cardiovascular disease. CEA-Leti, a technology research institute at CEA are pioneers in micro and nanotechnologies. They will develop the next generation of microneedles to be integrated into the sensor system. In addition to RealCare's clinical and technology partners, partner DEN, an independent non-profit think tank, will contribute its expertise in social sciences, ethics considerations and acceptance of novel technologies to maximise RealCare's impact.
