The European Innovation Council funds two UB projects to develop cutting-edge technologies
Ramón y Cajal researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry Marta Estrader, a member of the UB’s Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), coordinates the WATERsense project, funded with three million euros over four years. The aim is to “remotely detect the presence of pollutants in water at any time”, explains Estrader. “Therefore, we will develop magneto-optical nanosensors that will be able to encapsulate certain pollutants (from pesticides to products derived from the chemical and pharmaceutical industry) on the previously functionalized surface. These substances can be identified using vibrational Raman spectroscopy”, she adds.
The innovation of the WATERsense technology lies in the fact that “through a small device that will be installed in rivers, lakes or any point of water, it will be possible to quickly detect the presence of contamination, and the results will be sent immediately via the internet, which will reduce the overall cost compared to the methodology used today”, says Estrader.
Eventually, WATERsense will make it possible to carry out careful analyses of variations in water quality in relation to changes in socio-economic activity or in the demography of a certain place or region. The project involves researchers from the University of Vigo, the Austrian Institute of Technology, the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and Lightnovo.
ICREA researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry Josep Puigmartí Luis is leading the SONOCRAFT project, also funded with three million euros over four years. He says the project aims to “position and align cells in 3D to create tissues and advanced multi-tissue constructs in a new high-performance volumetric printer”. “Cell alignment is essential for the integrity and function of numerous organs and tissues. For example, in the heart, the orientation of cardiomyocytes facilitates chamber contraction and blood pumping. Neuronal alignment in the nervous system enables signal transmission and affects sensation, movement, and cognition. Muscle fibres, both skeletal and smooth, align to effectively generate force and movement”, says the researcher.
As Puigmartí points out, the process of achieving controlled and precise alignment and positioning of cells with existing bioprinting technology is still at an early stage and poses multiple challenges. “SONOCRAFT represents an innovative technology that improves the positioning of cells within tissues, thus surpassing current capabilities in tissue engineering”, concludes the researcher. In addition to the UB, the project involves researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, the universities of Münster, Lund and Bern, and companies such as Black Drop Biodrucker GmbH, Experian and the Discovery Foundation.
In total, the European Innovation Council has selected 45 projects, which will receive funding of 138 million euros to develop innovative technologies in areas such as health, artificial intelligence, information technology, the environment and energy.