Summary
- Profile Type
- Research & Development Request
- POD Reference
- RDRFR20260729019
- Term of Validity
- 29 July 2026 - 29 July 2027
- Company's Country
- France
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
General information
- Short Summary
- A French SME developing a biomarker-based diagnostic tool for healthy ageing, inflammatory diseases and cancer seeks partners for an EU project under the Healthy Ageing Challenge (Objective 2). The technology is already developed and requires clinical validation and deployment. Three partners sought: providers of clinical samples for retrospective studies, regulatory and market access experts, and dissemination and communication specialists.
- Full Description
-
A French company is developing a multi-index biomarker panel for the detection of age-related pathology, including cancer and chronic inflammatory conditions. The panel has been designed (TRL 1) and now requires validation in a retrospective clinical study, together with a route to clinical adoption. Within a proposal to Objective 2 of the Healthy Ageing Challenge — a biomarker-based tool to enable the responsible deployment of ageing-related interventions — the company is seeking three complementary partners:
1. Biobanks and research groups with suitable sample collections
They are looking for banked material from patients with cancer, from patients with chronic inflammatory or metabolic conditions (Crohn's disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and similar), and from healthy controls, in one or both of the following forms:
– leukocytes or PBMCs, viably cryopreserved in at least 10% DMSO
– plasma
Longitudinal collections, with repeat samples from the same individuals over time, are of particular interest, as they allow the effect of ageing to be assessed directly. Samples must be accompanied by clinical annotation (age, sex, diagnosis, stage or disease activity, treatment status) and be transferable under an MTA with appropriate consent.
2. Regulatory expertise
Diagnostic tools for the assessment of ageing-related risk do not yet exist as a regulated category, so neither the regulatory strategy nor the deployment pathway has been established. One of the expected outcomes of this Challenge is the development of approaches to the shared regulatory hurdles and societal questions linked to ageing-related interventions, in order to facilitate their adoption. They are therefore seeking regulatory experts to define the regulatory strategy and assess deployment feasibility for their technology, and to work with other projects in the Challenge portfolio on these common roadmaps.
3. Scientific communication
The adoption of new ageing-related tools depends on their uptake by clinical partners and on public understanding of what they do and do not measure. They are therefore seeking professionals experienced in scientific communication with both medical and public audiences. - Advantages and Innovations
-
The panel combines several measurable biological processes into a single composite index derived from one blood draw, rather than relying on a single marker. This gives it discriminatory power across a range of age-related pathologies from the same assay, and allows the same platform to be applied to new indications without redevelopment.
The clinical rationale is direct: cancer and other age-related conditions are treatable, and in some cases preventable, when identified early, but current pathways detect most of them late. A test capable of flagging risk before symptoms appear shifts intervention to the point at which it is most effective and least costly. - Stage of Development
- Concept stage
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Goal 10: Reduced Inequality
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
- IPR status
- Secret know-how
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
Three distinct roles, which may be filled by different partners:
Sample provider — supply annotated biobanked samples for the retrospective clinical study, and/or collect samples prospectively over the course of the project.
Regulatory partner — define the regulatory strategy and deployment feasibility for the technology, and contribute to the Challenge portfolio's shared work on regulatory and societal barriers to ageing-related interventions.
Communication partner — develop and deliver the communication strategy, building awareness of healthy-ageing diagnostics among clinical stakeholders and the public, and supporting partnership development. - Type and Size of Partner
- SME 50 - 249
- SME <=10
- University
- R&D Institution
- Other
- SME 11-49
- Big company
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
Call details
- Framework program
- Horizon Europe
- Call title and identifier
-
EIC Pathfinder Challenge: Biotechnology for Healthy Ageing
- Submission and evaluation scheme
-
Single-stage submission scheme
- Anticipated project budget
-
€4 000 000
- Coordinator required
-
No
- Deadline for EoI
- Deadline of the call
- Project duration in weeks
-
260
- Web link to the call
- https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-pathfinder/eic-pathfinder-challenges-2026_en#biotechnology-for-healthy-ageing
- Horizon Europe
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 06001002 - Clinical Research, Trials
- 06001003 - Cytology, Cancerology, Oncology
- 06001005 - Diagnostics, Diagnosis
- 06001012 - Medical Research
- Market keywords
- 05005014 - Oncology
- 05001001 - Diagnostic services
- Sector Groups Involved
- Health
- Targeted countries
- All countries