Nanomedicine

The EMISSARY company, a CIDETEC Nanomedicine spin off, had a stand at the trade fair held in Paris from 2 to 4 April. In-cosmetics global, which has just celebrated its 30th event, is a leading exhibition in the personal care ingredients sector that brings together the suppliers of these ingredients (exhibitors) with the manufacturers of the final product (visitors) with the aim of establishing relationships, exploring trends and launching new products. This year’s event broke all the attendance records with a total of 12,000 visitors.

EMISSARY showcased 5 new products in the form of nanocapsules containing ceramide and hyaluronic acid for the anti-ageing product line, and turmeric, DPG and vitamin A as antioxidants. Dr. Aitziber López, in charge of the line of intelligent colloids, attended the fair on behalf of CIDETEC Nanomedicine. Emissary was represented by Dr. María Arbulu, CEO of the company.

Emissary Cosmetics is a CIDETEC spin off dedicated to the marketing of an intelligent encapsulation system for the cosmetics industry. Emissary has a patented encapsulation technology based on polypeptides, capable of modulating the speed of release of the cosmetic ingredient according to the needs of the skin. The polypeptide capsules can encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic active ingredients and can be adapted to customer needs.

CIDETEC Nanomedicine organized the Open Innovation Test Beds for the Sanitary Product sector that took place in San Sebastian on February 20. The event took place at the Arima Hotel and was attended by representatives of the three new projects launched by the European Commission and agents of the sector in the Basque Country.

The European sector of health technologies is a highly innovative sector driven by small businesses that with the entry of the new regulatory will see their competitiveness and innovation power at risk. The European Commission has just launched three new projects that aim to help the industry sector maintain its high degree of innovation. For this purpose, it launches the initiative known as Open Innovation Test Beds for the Healthcare Product sector and aims to create platforms with a single access window to serve innovative companies, covering the entire value chain from proof of concept to Laboratory scale and reaching the stage prior to obtaining the CE mark including clinical trials. These projects have a high participation of Basque entities. Two of them are coordinated from Euskadi (one by CIDETEC) and the third has the participation of a technological center in Gipuzkoa.

The workshop, organized by CIDETEC Nanomedicine, included speeches by María Aguirre, Director of Health Research and Innovation of the Basque Government and Corinna Hahn, of Eurice. The three projects were presented by Iraida Loinaz and Laura Sánchez, from CIDETEC, and Ángel Pozo from Biopraxis.

A research project in cartilage regeneration, in which the Unit of Biomaterials from the CIDETEC Institute for Nanomedicine participates together with nine other partners from seven countries, was recently financed by the European Commission with 5.5 million euro. Named RESTORE, the project aims to create 3D matrices incorporating smart nanomaterials to repair knee cartilage lesions thereby reducing or delaying the onset of osteoarthritis, which currently affects 242 million people worldwide.

These matrices, explains Meriem Lamghari, researcher at i3S and the coordinator of this European consortium, «are tailored so that they can be implanted and fill the injury site as well as respond to the knee joint mechanical forces. Moreover, they contain smart nanoparticles with regenerative, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. The nanoparticles with regenerative properties can, whenever necessary, be remotely activated with non-invasive methods». For that the project’s team will develop a knee brace equipped with sensors capable of activating the nanoparticles present in the implanted matrix».

The work developed by the CIDETEC Institute for Nanomedicine’s team, who will receive around 554,375€, will concentrate on «developing smart nanobiomaterials to modulate inflammatory, cartilage extracellular matrix degradation and infection threats which will help tissue regeneration and patient’s healing », explains Dr Damien Dupin.

RESTORE emerges following constructive discussions between orthopaedic surgeons, tissue engineers, materials researchers and cellular biologists to answer pressing clinical needs. Therefore, explains Meriem Lamghari, «we are proposing two matrices, one based on a polymer already clinically tested in the veterinary sector, namely in large animals, for large knee cartilage lesions; and another matrix generated using bioprinting technology, composed by cartilage cells of human origin to which we will also incorporate the smart nanoparticles. This matrix is more adequate for small lesions».

This consortium, which will develop the project during the next 44 months with the participation of partners from Portugal, Italy, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, articulates with other European projects, including MIRACLE, centred in the diagnosis of the knee joint degeneration, and REFINE focused on the development of biosafety protocols for the use of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials in humans.

Dr. Aitziber López Elorza, representing CIDETEC Nanomedicine, presented the work “Skin-responsive smart nanocapsules for triggered release of active ingredients in damaged skin” at the 30th IFSCC CONGRESS held in Munich between 18 and 21 September. The congress, organised by the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists, brings together more than 1500 delegates from all over the world for four days. The event, one of the most important in the field of cosmetic science, will feature more than 90 oral lectures and 400 posters, and will provide an opportunity to learn about new market trends and to build relationships with leading companies in the sector.

Last 4 September, the Pepticaps consortium met in Brussels before the European Commission for the final review of the project, slated to close at the start of October.

The Commission considers the project a success story since it has served to develop smart capsules for the cosmetic sector capable of responding to skin requirements.

The consortium, coordinated by CIDETEC, is composed of four other research centres – the University of Bordeaux, the University of the Basque Country, Claude Bernard Lyon I University and the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research – two companies, Polypeptide Therapeutic Solutions SL and AHAVA; and the consultancies, Spinverse and Angel Consulting.

The project started three years ago with the aim of developing the technology, and following this period, was validated and implemented in production at the pilot plant mounted by CIDETEC for the purpose.

The products obtained will be commercialised under the EMISSARY Brand through a new companyset up for the purpose that will bear the same name.