Description of the Project
Laboratory diagnostics of hematological malignancies has three major applications: establishing the diagnosis, prognostic classification, and evaluation of treatment effectiveness. Over the past decade, several molecular techniques have brought new insights into classification and monitoring of treatment effectiveness. However, they have several major disadvantages: they are time consuming, not applicable in all categories of patients, and cannot focus on cellular subpopulations without purification steps. These limitations can be overcome by innovations in flow cytometry. Flow cytometric immunophenotyping is the sole technique that fulfils the requirements of high speed, broad applicability at diagnosis and follow-up, and accurate focusing on the malignant cell population using membrane-bound and intracellular proteins as targets. The required innovative steps concern development of novel antibodies, novel immunobead technology, novel flow cytometry software, and novel 8-color immunostaining protocols, which are all key objectives of the EuroFlow consortium. This needs a multidisciplinary translational research approach using cutting edge technologies and biological data arising from genomic research, which can be addressed most successfully via close collaboration between industry and academia.
The aims of the EuroFlow project typically concern “translational research”, i.e. translation of knowledge and experience from basic research into novel diagnostics, fully fitting with the objectives of the LifeSciHealth Priority in the area of “Development of new diagnostics”. This concerns both technical innovations in flow cytometry and new flow cytometric strategies, which will substantially contribute to early diagnosis as well as to accurate monitoring of residual disease for evaluation of treatment effectiveness.
The successful implementation of the proposal and the dissemination of the results to European hematological laboratories should result in health care progress through more precise diagnosis and individualized treatment as well as in strengthening of European biotechnology enterprises.
Based on the results of the EuroFlow consortium, optimized and standardized immunostaining protocols for the diagnosis, classification, and prognostic sub classification of hematological malignancies as well as for detection of MRD during follow-up will become available. The laboratories involved in the EuroFlow consortium represent eight European countries and will further disseminate the standardized immunostaining protocols to international and national flow cytometry networks in the field of diagnosis and monitoring of hematological malignancies. All details of the standardized immunostaining protocols will be published in high-ranking international SCI journals.
Additionally, the use of common software will contribute to further standardization of the analysis and interpretation of flow cytometric immunophenotyping results.
All requirements for performing the proposed project are available within the EuroFlow consortium: knowledge, technology, highly skilled personnel, and patient material. |
