Project: Multianalyte Digital Sensing with QR-code Microneedles for Minimally Invasive Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Modulation Of carbon Nanoparticles for pAncReatic Cancer tHerapy (MONARCH).

This project is developing QR‑code microneedle sensors that can detect key Alzheimer’s biomarkers decades before symptoms appear, enabling minimally invasive early diagnosis.

Challenge Space

Health Resistance

Prinicipal Investigator(s) and team names

Professor Silvia Giordani (PI), Dr. Francesco Bellina (postdoc)

Collaborating Institutions

Funding support

European Innovation Council (EIC)

Project start date

1 March, 2026

End date

28 February, 2028

Problem

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, afflicting more than 55 million patients worldwide, with increasing trends. Most of the current pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments can only alleviate the symptoms, but early intervention has been shown to significantly increase the efficacy.

Background

Smart devices allow monitoring key biomarkers in blood and other biological fluids, providing qualitative and quantitative measurements of a patient’s state of health.

Solution

To identify three critical Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers up to two decades prior to symptomatic onset, the ALERT consortium is engineering an advanced, minimally invasive diagnostic platform. Leveraging foundational microneedle technology established by Prof. Barillaro at the University of Pisa for dermal sensor deployment, the Giordani Group is synthesizing highly sensitive fluorescent probing agents.