The EU project “NanoDetect” was initiated towards the end of last year. This cross-border project aims to achieve a pioneering development in the field of cancer diagnostics. Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death. The development of improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches could make a decisive contribution to the successful treatment and healing of cancer patients. The project partners, which include researchers from the IOM of the research area “Biocompatible and Bioactive Surfaces/Biosensoric Nanoparticles and Surfaces” and the “Hertz-Electron Beam Laboratory”, contribute expertise from various fields, including molecular biology, materials science, optics, electronics and computer science. The interdisciplinary partnership within the consortium consists of the following institutions: FH Münster, bill-X GmbH, Leibniz-Institut für Oberflächenmodifizierung e.V. (IOM), Jüke Systemtechnik GmbH, QTsense, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) und Universität Osnabrück.

The project involves the application of an innovative concept of relaxometry for cancer diagnosis. The focus is about the application of nanoscopic diamonds modified at the IOM as optical sensors, which serve to identify individual tumor cells with an aberrant cell metabolism by means of laser irradiation. Compared to conventional methods, the new concept has the advantage that even small changes in cells can be detected much faster. The aim of the project is to develop and evaluate a prototype experimental setup for this relaxometric diagnostic method in order to determine the effectiveness of drugs on isolated tumor cells and thus optimize the selection of suitable drugs for chemotherapy.

A total budget of 5,501,220.48 euros is available for the project until the end of 2028, of which 2,405,843.41 euros will flow from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) into the German-Dutch cooperation. The Interreg partners are providing co-financing of €1,031,075.73, while the project partners are contributing €2,064,301.34 of their own.

The Interreg partners include German and Dutch ministries and provinces, including the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Province of Groningen, as well as the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Ministry for Federal and European Affairs of Lower Saxony in Germany.