Technology Transfer Department

Application sectors

Problem to solve

Many human diseases, including liver conditions (such as hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis) and neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease), which are associated with severe complications, are on the rise in Western countries. Currently, no specific biochemical markers or early clinical signs exist for these diseases. Diagnosis is typically conducted through imaging techniques or highly invasive, costly procedures. The present initiative aims to identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for these diseases, using biological samples that are simple to collect, non-invasive, and repeatable over time. This would enable early diagnosis and large-scale screening, facilitating the management of patients in the early stages of the disease.

Description

This technological initiative focuses on the identification of novel biomarkers and the subsequent development of diagnostic and prognostic kits for disease progression monitoring, prediction, and evaluation of therapeutic responses in high-social-impact diseases. Specifically, at ENEA, exploited omic analyses we are able to identify potential biomarkers from various biological samples, which can then be analyzed using widely employed diagnostic techniques. At the Biotec-Red laboratory of ENEA, we set-up protocols for biomarker identification from biological samples simple to collect, non-invasive for the patient, cost-effective, and repeatable over time. The goal is to develop sustainable clinical-use prototypes that improve patient quality of life and reduce costs for the National Health Service. This innovative approach enables disease detection and monitoring, even by the patients themselves, through the development of user-friendly kits.

Research group involved