Nanomedicine

CIDETEC hosts the final meeting of the CATSENSE Network Supervisory Board

The final meeting of the CATSENSE Initial Training Network Supervisory Board took place on 27 and 28 November, with CIDETEC participating as advisor.

Catsense purports to develop catalysts and biosensors based on gas-phase metal clusters. Catsense is an FP7 training network for young nanotechnology researchers funded under the Marie-Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) programme (grant agreement number 607417) to accelerate know-how in new high-performance nanomaterials. It began in 2014 and, during these three years, has served to drive discovery in this sector as well as collaboration between the different participating centres and industries: Leuven University, the University of Birmingham, the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Milano-Bicocca, Tel Aviv University, the University of Milan, Teer Coatings Limited and Johnson Matthey.

Each student was trained through two-month rotating internships (so-called secondments) at the various participating centres. They were thus able to work not only on physical methods for cluster preparation but also on characterisation methods, electrochemical techniques, catalyst, sensor and printed circuitry development, etc., covering broad areas of knowledge as well as applications in the industrial sector.

Throughout these three years, the CIDETEC Sensor Unit has collaborated with this consortium through consultancy regarding the sensor applications of metal clusters. CIDETEC participated not only in the meetings but also in the summer school programmes held by the network, where it imparted training in printed circuitry and biosensors to the young doctoral candidates. It also manufactured and supplied screen-printed electrodes for the network, on which gold clusters were deposited in single layers, with promising results for different applications.

This final meeting of the CATSENSE Supervisory Board held in CIDETEC verified the proper fulfilment of project objectives and reviewed the most promising applications for the clusters developed as well as the possibilities for the exploitation and continuity of this research in other contexts.

CIDETEC Nanomedicine participates in the annual conference of the European Technology Platform on Nanomedicine (ETPN)

The European Technology Platform on Nanomedicine had its annual meeting and open conference in Torremolinos from 17 to 19 October. This year saw the presentation of the main advances by the Translational Hub and the progress made in the main ongoing European projects in the sphere of Nanomedicine.

In this edition CIDETEC Nanomedicine presented two of the projects it is leading. NanoPilot as part of the Translational Hub, and PneumoNP which will have been running for 4 years by the end of 2017.

The PneumoNP project focusses on the development of new theragnostic solutions for treating pneumonia cases caused by resistant gram-negative bacteria. The project has demonstrated the benefit of using polymer nanoparticles to improve the effect of antibiotics given by inhalation. It has also developed a new diagnostic kit to determine resistant bacteria and which already has the CE marking.

For further information about PneumoNP:

https://www.labsexplorer.com/site/pneumonp_3

For further information about the conference:

http://www.etpn2017.eu/

CIDETEC faces the new era of Nanomedicine

More than two decades of intensive basic research on nanomedicine has generated good knowledge on the limitations and the benefits of the use of nanotechnology in the biomedical field.

Private and public initiatives have been launched to overcome technical difficulties that limit the translation of basic knowledge on nanomedicine into new products. At this stage, it is essential to gather the attention of nanotechnologists, clinicians, regulators and pharma industry to link bench to bed.

This has been the objective of the 2^nd Workshop on translational nanomedicine organized by CIDETEC Nanomedicine in the frame of EC funded NanoPilot project. During two days the audience has assisted to 25 talks covering aspects on how to be prepared for translational research in early stage of development, new technologies for manufacturing, advanced characterization and regulation.

We had the opportunity to learn about regulatory aspects with César Hernandez (head of the department of medicines for Human Use). Pilar Calvo from Pharmamar, and Gemma Lahuerta from Reig Jofre showed us the pharma industry perspectives and key aspects for translation. Patrick Boisseau presented the initiatives from the European Nanomedicine Platform to promote the translation of nanomedicine and we also learnt from first level researchers as Abhay Pandit from the National University of Ireland in Galway and Simó Schwartz from Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research.

The assistants had the opportunity to participate in a demonstration in microfluidics and visit the new pilot plant built in CIDETEC for the manufacturing of investigational medicinal products.

Damien Dupin has attended the 28^th annual conference of the European Society for Biomaterials organised in Athens (Greece) on September 4^th-8^th. ESB 2017 gathered around 1,000 participants with a main focus on “translational activities for the exploiting research on Biomaterials”. Damien presented the work carried out on the “Smart Colloid” research line of the Biomaterials Unit with our work on pH-responsive microgels and some dissemination of the results H2020 project PeptiCaps (www.pepticaps.eu) on smart nanocapsules for skin care applications.

For more info: www.esb2017.org

Web: cidetec.es/2wtn

The event will be held on the 18th and 19th of September in the Technological Park of San Sebastián.

Organized by CIDETEC Nanomedicine, the workshop will make public with the aid of six working session representatives of the bodies that form part of the consortium that develops the project, as well as other experts in the field of Translational Nanomedicine will expose the knowledge generated around the NanoPilot project.

The different sessions will address issues ranging from the early stages of research up to advanced characterization techniques and its regulatory framework. One of the sessions will be specifically dedicated to the equipment and capacities of the GMP pilot plant, including the possibility of visiting the plant itself at the CIDETEC facilities.

Nanopilot is a four-year project that aims to install a pilot plant for the production of polymer-based nano-drugs operating under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) conditions.

The consortium includes 4 research groups, 3 SMEs and 2 industrial groups, all of them with vital history of generating knowledge and innovation in their respective fields of action.