Op­to­pro­be

Early detection of tumors

OPTOPROBE project: Development of software to refine and accelerate cancer detection

From 2009 to 2013, Dr Markus Borschbach ‘s Competence Center Optimized Systems worked successfully with companies and scientific institutions in the BMBF-funded OPTOPROBE consortium. The aim of this medical project was to be able to detect even the smallest cancerous tumors very quickly and eliminate them particularly gently – at the same time with the diagnostic instruments used. The focus was on the development of intelligent probes consisting of small proteins, so-called peptides. These peptides are subjected to a systematic evolutionary process until they are able to attach themselves specifically to cancer cells in the body and mark them with dyes.

The FHDW team was given the task of developing software that generates these variations of the peptides, recognizes the suitable new proteins and selects them based on the laboratory values. In particular, IT expertise in the areas of “evolutionary algorithms” and “self-learning processes” was required. By using the software, the procedure was to be significantly refined and, above all, accelerated.

At the final meeting of the joint project in June 2013 at the Borstel Research Center, it was stated: The concept of the joint project was successful and the hypotheses put forward were correct. The joint project partners GeSIM (automated analysis and synthesis; Dresden), LMTB (optical readout systems; Berlin), ATTO-TEC (dyes; Siegen) and R-Biopharm (markers; Darmstadt) as well as the Competence Center Optimized Systems (FHDW in Bergisch Gladbach) all agreed on this. The suitability of peptide markers has indeed been proven. The identification of suitable amino acid chains within the research laboratory of the working group of network coordinator PD Dr. Andreas Frey (Leibniz Center for Medicine and Biosciences) was carried out using the evolution platform developed within the data analysis lab of the Competence Center of the FHDW in Bergisch Gladbach.

During the final meeting, at which Susanne Rosenthal and Dr. Markus Borschbach presented the FHDW results, Dr. Andreas Frey offered the Competence Center Optimized Systems a lifelong cooperation. This means that a continuation of the long-term collaboration – the first research collaboration with Dr. Markus Borschbach dates back to 1999 – is foreseeable. In addition, an OPTOPROBE follow-up project involving the FHDW has already been approved.

At the Evostar workshop in Vienna in April 2013, Dr. Markus Borschbach and Susanne Rosenthal presented the Competence Center’s research findings in the field of evolutionary algorithms. They were also involved as speakers at the “Evolve” workshop in Leiden (Netherlands) in July 2013.