FOCUS BUSINESS & RESEARCH NEWS
Photonics device that detects cancer early earns Dutch consortium’s €8.5m backing
A
Dutch consortium has invested €8.5m in a photonics point-of-care device that can detect cancer and
other diseases early. The consortium, consisting of companies Qurin Diagnostics and LioniX International, industry accelerator PhotonDelta and the East Netherlands development agency Oost NL, has invested for further development of Surfix’s diagnostics platform into various point-of-care tests. The initial target applications are early cancer diagnosis, Covid-19 detection and tracing of pathogens in water for aquaculture.
Surfix, a spin-off from Wageningen
University & Research, aims to make a test available for the masses, and at the cost of only a few euros.
The biosensor of Surfix consists of two
elements: the chip in which the sensing occurs, and microfluidics, in which the biological assay takes place in a small sample volume. During the sensing, light passes through
the chip (comparable to a minuscule glass-fibre spiral) instead of electricity. Biomolecules attached to the surface of the chip can catch other biomolecules out of a
6 Electro Optics July 2021
sample (for instance blood or urine), based on biorecognition. This causes a change in the properties of the light travelling through the chip, which can be detected and read by the sensor system. This change is a measure of the presence of the biomolecule in the sample one is looking for. Before entering the sensing part of the
sensor, any sample needs to be processed, which takes place in microfluidic channels which feed the sample into the sensing part. For the sensing, Surfix has developed unique nano-coatings which enable the binding of biomolecules and enhance the sensitivity of the sensor, while the microfluidic part is covered with a different nano-coating that repels biomolecules and enhances the flow of the sample through the microfluidic channels. The diagnostics platform can be used
to detect viruses, DNA and RNA, proteins such as antibodies and antigens, and other biomolecules.
Dutch expertise The platform combines LioniX’s integrated photonics chip with Surfix’s nanocoatings for the proper functioning of sensing and microfluidics. Qurin will launch the
platform in the cancer diagnostics field in a screening setting. This way Surfix hopes to contribute to the early detection and cure of cancer. Qurin’s novel biomarker technology aims to detect most, if not all, cancer types in urine, including lung cancer and cancer of the large bowel. Maarten Buijs, CEO of Surfix, said:
‘With this development, we have deepened
‘The investment will allow us to take on the industrialisation of our solution and clinically validate the results’
our relationship with parent companies LioniX and Qurin, both University of Twente spin-offs. With Oost NL and PhotonDelta on board, our drive is to bring point-of-care diagnostics to the next level. In combination with the network and experience of the two Dutch public- private organisations, the leading-edge integrated photonics technology of LioniX and the medical knowledge of Qurin, the investment will allow us to take on the industrialisation of our solution and clinically validate the exciting results in biomarker detection obtained to date.’
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