IPO Porto’s Dual Contribution to ONCOSCREEN: Bridging Clinical Practice and Biomarker Discovery

At IPO Porto, the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto, our team plays a central role in the ONCOSCREEN project by contributing at both the clinical and research levels. We are deeply engaged in the coordination and implementation of the clinical study at our site and are also involved in the identification and validation of RNA-based biomarkers that could improve early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Implementing the Clinical Study at IPO-Porto

We are responsible for coordinating and conducting the clinical study locally. This includes recruiting participants, collecting biological samples, and supporting follow-up data collection. To date, we have successfully recruited over 300 individuals, with a consistent inclusion rate of around 25 new participants per month—a pace that reflects strong internal coordination and excellent participant engagement.

One of the challenges we anticipated early on was the low incidence of cancer cases in the screening population. To address this and ensure the robustness of our dataset, we adapted the study protocol to include colorectal cancer patients already diagnosed and under care at IPO Porto. This adjustment has allowed us to complement screening data with clinically confirmed cases, enhancing both the depth and the relevance of the biospecimens and clinical data we are collecting.

From Discovery to Validation: RNA-Based Biomarkers

While current non-invasive screening methods—such as the Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)—are widely used, they have clear limitations, including low sensitivity for precancerous lesions and a high rate of false positives. These issues can reduce their impact on mortality and hinder efforts to identify high-risk lesions at an early stage.

In ONCOSCREEN, we are exploring RNA-based blood biomarkers as a promising alternative. Our work focuses on the discovery and validation of biomarkers that could be integrated into the ONCO-CRISPR diagnostic tool, currently under development by our project partner CCassured. By helping to identify and evaluate high-potential biomarker candidates, our research aims to support the development of a minimally invasive, accurate, and patient-friendly screening tool with the potential to improve adherence to population-level CRC screening programs.

We recently presented preliminary findings at the EACR 2025 Congress, focusing on two of the ONCO-CRISPR top-ten candidate biomarkers: PRDX6 and NAA60. Both showed strong potential for discriminating cancer and advanced lesions in blood-based samples, particularly in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

In parallel, we have conducted small RNA sequencing to discover new RNA-based biomarkers, including microRNAs and human CRISPR-like elements. These promising leads are currently under analysis, and we look forward to sharing more on these exciting results in the coming months.

At IPO Porto, we are proud to contribute to both the clinical and scientific arms of ONCOSCREEN. Our dual role allows us to bridge research and practice, ensuring that discoveries made in the lab are grounded in real-world clinical experience. With continued collaboration across the consortium, we are confident that the tools and biomarkers we’re developing will contribute to more effective, earlier detection of colorectal cancer.

We look forward to sharing further updates as our work progresses—and to advancing toward a future where non-invasive, accurate, and widely accessible CRC screening becomes a reality.