MEMoRiEx

MEMoRiEx. Device for Molecular Evaluation and Monitoring of Risk of Alzheimer’s disease based on Exosomes

The MEMoRiEx proposal aims to develop a rapid and portable test for the early detection and monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in plasma and risk stratification of patients. The product relies on an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) platform, developed by BioEclosion, featuring a disposable cartridge and a reader. This innovative platform integrates tailor-designed probes to capture brain-derived exosomes from plasma and to detect on their surface the protein BACE-1, an enzyme that cleaves the amyloid precursor protein, leading to the formation of β-amyloid peptides. Insoluble forms of β-amyloid peptides are the primary components of amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The platform works with magnetic actuation and an electrochemical biosensor in a portable, battery-operated reader.  The long-term vision of the MEMoRiEx consortium relies on an IVD platform capable of stratifying cognitively impaired patients, identifying those who are more at risk of developing AD.  Current diagnostic tools for AD rely on clinical and neuropsychological assessments, imaging techniques like positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker analysis. These methods are costly, invasive, and often inaccessible, especially in low- and middle-income countries. These drawbacks highly limit early diagnosis, which is critical for effective treatment, particularly for emerging disease-modifying therapies. For that, there is a pressing need for novel, accessible biomarkers, particularly in plasma. Exosome-based diagnostic tests have emerged as a promising solution in this sense, offering minimally invasive blood-based approaches to detect AD-related changes, holding the potential for improving diagnostic accuracy, patient compliance, and affordability, making them ideal for early detection and point-of-care applications.  The MEMoRiEx proposal has significant utility both in low-income countries to reduce the diagnostic gap where high-quality gold-standard laboratory tests are unavailable and in high-income countries to significantly improve result turnaround times and dramatically improve patient compliance, reducing costs and allowing timely interventions, implementing precision medicine. The MEMoRiEx outcomes will enable decision-makers to implement Alzheimer’s dementia monitoring at a global level, improving human health and alleviating the economic consequences for patients, families, and the overall health system. 

If granted, BioEclosion, coordinated by Dr. J Ferrer-Dalmau, will partner with expert teams: ACE-Alzheimer Center, under the supervision of Dr. A. Cano, Head of Molecular Biology & Biomarkers Program; UAB, led by Prof. Dr. M.I. Pividori, an expert in IVD tests and leader of the Biosensing and Bioanalysis group. The project also foresees a collaboration with Clínica DKF Madrid, under the supervision of team leader and neurologist Dr. V. Giménez de Béjar, with the support of neurologist Dr. G. González Ortega and R&D manager Dr. J. Martin. The combination of academic, medical, and industrial partners in the MEMoRiEx consortium, along with patient associations, forms a highly complementary study team which, together with a valorization plan, will pave the way for future large-scale implementation of the MEMoRiEx prototypes 

This three year project is funded by the European Union.

The Consortium

The AmpliSenS consortium is led by BioEclosion SL and includes:

• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
• BioEclosion
• ACE-Alzheimer Center
• Clínica DKF Madrid

Participants UAB

Anaixis del Valle, Jennifer Marfà, Rosanna Rossi, Juan Carlos Porras-Marichal, Mercè Martí, María Isabel Pividori

Total funding

€777.487,76 (awarded by Mecanismo de Recuperación y Resiliencia de la Unión Europea)

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