Collaborative Program to Investigate Mechanisms of Metastasis

Single cell analysis systems developer Sphere Fluidics has joined the 3DSecret partnership, a four-year research project funded through the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) Pathfinder Open 2022, established under Horizon Europe and the EU’s key funding program for research and innovation.

Coordinated by the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), the consortium has been awarded €3.4M and aims to develop novel technologies to investigate the stochastic patterns behind metastasis at the single-cell level, to predict cancer evolution.

Bringing together multidisciplinary experts in microfluidics, nanosensors, artificial intelligence (AI), cell genomics and transcriptomics from Portugal, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, Sphere Fluidics’ patented picodroplet technology will support development of an integrated microfluidic device, the 3DSecret-chip, for the reproducible and controlled formation of 3D spheroids from single cancer cells. Subsequent multi-parametric analysis of the datasets will incorporate Raman spectroscopy, DNA and RNA sequencing as well as AI modelling, to identify cells causing metastasis and underlying patterns.

INL’s Dr. Sara Abalde-Cela, 3DSecret Project Coordinator commented: “The 3DSecret project, besides having the potential to unlock hidden mechanisms behind metastasis, will provide bleeding tech breakthrough developments to the fields of microfluidics, single-cell studies, sequencing and AI applied to health.”

Dr. Frank F Craig, CEO, Sphere Fluidics, said: “The anticipated technical and scientific discoveries within the 3DSecret program hold great potential to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer by taking a radical bottom-up holistic approach: from cancer single-cells to 3D spheroids. Following funding, we’re now excited to get started on the project and initiate the collaboration amongst consortium members, which will be key to 3DSecret’s hopeful breakthrough. Through our involvement, we are further demonstrating the scope of applications our technology can support to facilitate cutting-edge biotherapeutic discovery and development.”

The EIC has a budget of €10.1 billion to support game-changing innovations, from early-stage research through to proof-of-concept, technology transfer and the financing and scale-up of start-ups and SMEs. Funding was awarded to 3DSecret in October 2022 and the project will run to the end of 2026. Partners include Universidade de Vigo, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, 2CA Braga, Tecnalia Research Innovation and Sphere Fluidics.

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