Protavio concluded an active participation at the IFCC-EFLM EuroMedLab Brussels 2025 congress, held from 18 to 22 May at Brussels, Belgium. Gathering thousands of laboratory medicine specialists from more than a hundred countries, EuroMedLab spotlighted advances that promise to reshape clinical diagnostics, and Protavio’s contribution focused on a pressing unmet need: less-invasive, highly accurate and timely screening for colorectal cancer (CRC).
Protavio presented the poster titled “Next-Generation Protein Biomarker Signature in Blood for Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer”, showing results from studies conducted within the Horizon Europe-funded DIOPTRA Project. CRC remains the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Europe and the United States, yet detecting the disease at an early stage boosts the five-year relative survival rate to more than 90 percent. Although colonoscopy is the current gold standard for screening, its invasiveness discourages many eligible individuals from participating. Protavio’s poster described a blood-based biomarker signature designed to complement existing endoscopic approaches, thereby encouraging broader population adherence without compromising diagnostic performance.
Using a rigorous biomarker discovery workflow, Protavio identified a panel of blood proteins mechanistically linked to CRC. In the initial pilot cohort, the signature achieved sensitivities and specificities above 90% for stage I–II cancers and demonstrated strong detection of precancerous advanced adenomas. These findings suggest that routine blood checks could soon help clinicians intercept both malignancies and high-risk lesions at far earlier, more treatable stages.
The project is now expanding to a 1,600-participant validation study across multiple European centres to confirm clinical accuracy in a larger and more diverse population. In parallel, Protavio is converting the discovery-platform readout into a high-throughput multiplex immunoassay suitable for routine laboratory workflows.
EuroMedLab provided the ideal forum to share these developments and gather feedback from peers who are equally committed to advancing precision diagnostics. Protavio thanks the EuroMedLab scientific community for its warm reception and looks forward to reporting further milestones from the DIOPTRA validation studies, all aimed at improving early-detection rates and outcomes for patients worldwide.