A Differential Detection Electrogravimetric Platform for the Early Diagnosis of Neuroendocrine Tumours

Objective

Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are often missed at first presentation because their symptoms mimic common gastrointestinal or inflammatory conditions. NETSPY addresses this gap by developing a dual-mode electrogravimetric biosensor that detects the established NET biomarkers Chromogranin A and B (CgA, CgB), while distinguishing them from non-specific inflammatory signals (CRP) measured in routine work-ups. The platform will be built on a custom electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) chip fabricated in the Tyndall/UCC cleanroom. To amplify electron transfer, an ultrathin high-entropy spinel oxide (HESO) film will be coated on the gold electrode. Aptamers for CgA/CgB (newly designed in this project) will be labelled with methylene blue to enable folding-gated electrochemical readout, while the QCM channel will report the label-free mass change. This orthogonal pairing underpins a Dual-Mode Differential Diagnosis (D3) logic: NET markers yield both frequency drop and electrochemical signal, whereas inflammatory interferents yield frequency drop with minimal electrochemical change, enabling practical serum discrimination. Outputs include prototype chips, SOPs for surface assembly, and open datasets/software. NETSPY will deliver a compact, minimally invasive route to earlier NET triage, and a generalizable blueprint for multi-marker point-of-care sensing in rare cancers. Dissemination will include high-impact publications, conference presentations, workshops with patient groups, and collaboration with Rare Cancers Europe. I will strengthen expertise in nanomaterials and biosensing at Tyndall, gain skills in aptamer design, FAIR data, and benefit from interdisciplinary supervision and UCC training resources. These activities will consolidate my independence and prepare me for national transition schemes (Research Ireland Pathway, Enterprise Ireland) and later EIC Transition/Accelerator calls.