Recipient: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. (Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science – MPG)
Funding: Go-Bio initial (01/10/2022 to 30/09/2023, EUR 100,365)

Project description:

After more than two years of the pandemic, Long COVID is a phenomenon that cannot be easily diagnosed with existing methods due to the heterogeneity of persistent symptoms and the different course of the disease. The recently developed technique for recording the physical properties of blood cells, so-called deformation cytometry, is intended to remedy this situation. This point-of-care system in clinical diagnostics is based on a microfluidic chip through which the blood cells flow and are deformed. With the help of high-throughput imaging microscopy, a photo of each cell is taken and automatically evaluated. The Long-disCOVer team has already been able to show that the main blood cell types are characteristically altered under acute COVID-19 infection, and on average seven months after infection, and can be used as biomarkers for long COVID.

In the exploratory phase the chances of transferring the promising technology into practical application and thereby, ultimately, into commercial use are to be explored. For this purpose the market and competitive situations are being analysed, technical challenges are being defined and potential partners are being identified. As a result of the project, prioritised exploitation options are to be developed. An additional implementation strategy for market entry is to be designed.