Diagnostics for cancer and cardiovascular diseases based on diet-derived sugars

Project Information

SugarBiomarker

Grant agreement ID: 101158398

DOI

10.3030/101158398

Project closed

EC signature date 29 January 2024

Start date 1 February 2024

End date 31 July 2025

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 150 000,00

Coordinated by

TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
Israel

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SugarBiomarker (Diagnostics for cancer and cardiovascular diseases based on diet-derived sugars)

Reporting period: 2024-02-01 to 2025-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Noncommunicable diseases have become an epidemic that poses devastating health consequences for individuals, families and communities globaly. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes are the leading causes of death affecting ~33.3 million people annually, ~80% due to CVD and cancer (54% and 28%, respectively; 2019). As such, prevention and control of these diseases is currently a major public health priority. In addition to preventive measures, early detection could dramatically improve disease outcomes, particularly in cancer, where precise diagnosis and staging of the disease are critical for successful treatment. However, current biomarkers have only limited success, largely due to low sensitivity and specificity. Diet can dramatically affect health, and different dietary habits have been associated with various human diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type II diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. In particular, high consumption of red meat has been frequently suggested as a risk factor for human cancers and CVD. We aimed to develop biomarkers for cancer and CVD based on signatures of antibodies against glycans screened over nano-printed arrays, followed by deep-learning analysis. Such unique signatures of antibodies could be used to identify the disease at an early stage, and allow personalized dietary recommendations or a better therapeutic window. These novel sugar-based disease diagnostics could dramatically improve prognosis of cancer and CVD.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Diet rich in red meat and/or dairy correlate with higher levels of certain circulating anti-glycan antibodies that could potentially also associate with cancer and/or CVD conditions. We investigated human sera of individuals with known dietary habits and disease condition by high-throughput glycan microarrays to identify signature anti-glycan antibodies in cancer and CVD as diagnostic markers.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

We initiated validation studies of serum anti-glycan antibodies signatures as disease risk biomarkers and diagnostics using multiple samples from cancer and CVD patients and healthy individuals, as well as explored their translation and potential appeal for industry.