A companion magnetic sensor for in operando detection of magnetic biosynthesis in cancer and neurodegenerative models

Introduction

Iron is essential for all life forms as it is a core component of many vital metabolic processes. In humans, iron homeostasis is controlled by sophisticated processes regulating its storage, transport, and export.

Role of Iron in Diseases

More recently, the role of iron in diseases has emerged, with ferroptosis being a form of cell death that is implicated, for instance, in the onset and progression of cancer or neurodegenerative disorders.

Magnetic Iron

Here, we focus on another intriguing type of iron in the body: the magnetic iron, which seems to be involved in both homeostasis and crippling pathologies, but which goes largely unnoticed to date. The presence and role of such biomagnetic iron offer a significant opportunity for novel therapeutic approaches.

Unmet Needs

One explanation as to why this is an unmet need most certainly stems from the lack of existing technologies that can detect the signature of biomagnetic iron in live human cells in real time.

Project Solution

The solution brought by the BioMag PoC project is to enable the in operando monitoring of intracellular biogenesis of magnetic iron in human cells, specifically in advanced cancer and Alzheimer's models.

Proposed Technology

To do so, the project proposes a unique (ultra)sensitive magnetic sensor integrated with bioreactors to enable the real-time measurement of magnetic nanoparticles biosynthesis in the cellular environment.

Impact of the Device

The usefulness of this device goes well beyond the scope of our main ERC research, as it can have a significant impact on:

1. Identifying novel therapeutic approaches to diseases by detecting iron-based new druggable targets.
2. Addressing key questions related to iron metabolism towards novel diagnostics.
3. Proposing a novel type of biogenic nanomedicines.