Category: News

RELIANCE project partners from The School of Engineering and Architecture (HEIA-FR) participated in the MPG Academy Workshop on Functional Coatings, organized by Molecular Plasma Group in Leuven, Belgium, on February 22 and 23, 2024.

Several leading-edge researchers presented their findings in an exciting program, in which the presenters shared their insights and expertise on utilizing Molecular Plasma Group’s cutting-edge plasma technology in their research endeavors. The presentations provided valuable information and served as a source of knowledge and inspiration for all attendees.

Among the participants representing universities, Research, and Technology Organizations (RTOs) who got actively involved in thought-provoking discussions and enthusiastic engagement transformed this event into a vibrant opportunity for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The attendees’ expertise and valuable contributions played a pivotal role in making this workshop an exceptional success, with an impressive turnout of approximately 50 participants and an engaging lineup of 13 high-quality presentations.

The program included the following presentations:

• Plenary lecture – Michael R. Wertheimer, Polytechnique Montreal: Industrialized Plasma Processing: A Personal Perspective
• Fernando Alba Elias, Universidad de la Rioja: Applications of atmospheric cold plasma in the Food and Medical industry.
• Roberto Quintana, LIST: Atmospheric plasma deposition processes engineering for functional coatings.
• Navid Mostofi Sarkari, KUL-MTM: Application of MPG Aerosol-assisted atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization technology for developing ice phobic surfaces.
• Tijs Dekoster, IMEC: Aerosol assisted plasma deposition from a physicochemical point of view.
• Stijn Van Vrekhem, Centexbel: Plasma technology for the textile and plastics industry.
• Guillaume Nonglaton, CEA-LETI: Advancing Micro and Nanotechnologies for Healthcare: CEA-Leti’s Cutting-Edge Surface Functionalization Platform.  
• Camilo Rendon Piedrahita, LIST: Superhydrophobic coatings deposited using atmospheric pressure plasma.
• Arunjunai Raj Mahendran, Wood Kplus: Enhancing the Properties of sustainable materials through Plasma Deposition: Development and Applications.
• Lieze Dankers, KUL-MeBioS: Carboxylic acid linker-layer created with atmospheric cold plasma technology for standardized and improved biomolecule immobilization on polymer surfaces.
• Elena Contreras Garcia, CTCR: Adhesion improvement of footwear through plasma technology.
• Hatice Ferda Özgüzar, KUL-MTM: Aerosol-assisted atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization to create thiol-rich coatings on titanium implants using 3-(mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane.
• Dirk Vangeneugden, VITO: Faster battery charging thanks to plasma discharge.

We are united in the goal of breaking new ground in the realm of functional coatings, paving the way for state-of-the-art innovations that transcend specific industries.

More moments of exchange during the workshop below.

RELIANCE project partners were excited to attend the info session on the proposed EU partnership under Horizon Europe programme “Innovative Advanced Materials for Europe” (IAM4EU)

Briefly, the agenda was focused on familiarization with the newly proposed public-private partnership’s ambition, its suggested implementation and first outline of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), based on the input from all relevant stakeholders’ communities.

The session defined advanced materials as intentionally designed materials possessing new or enhanced properties and targeted structural features to achieve specific or improved functional performance. In the context of policy making, they are seen as key enablers and innovator drivers for the Green Deal and Digital Transition due to an increasing customer demand for circular, safe and sustainable products.

The partnership ambition was framed within strengthening the EU’s resilience and strategic autonomy through accelerating advanced materials research and technology development, scaling up their innovation and manufacturing capacity as well as stepping up their industrial uptake.

The meeting evolved with defining a common vision for relevant stakeholders in the field, namely, to ensure EU industrial leadership for advanced materials through mobilising R&I investments at all levels and supporting innovative EU companies to improve their competitiveness. It further elaborated on 5 pillar actions outlined in the draft strategy: European R&I, Lab to Fab, Capital Investment and Finance, Production and Use, and Governance.

Lastly, the attendees were introduced to the guiding principles of IAM4EU partnership:

• Cover all the segments of the materials value chain, as well as technologies and infrastructures (making use of, supporting and/or developing) enabling an accelerated design, development and uptake of IAMs.
• Support the full IAMs innovation cycle (from basic research to innovation uptake)
• Recognize the key enabling role of all types of IAMs.
• As a co-programmed partnership with industry, to ensure that research investments meet industrial needs and boost uptake into marketable products.

 Source: www.ami2030.eu

The last two months have been pretty hectic for RELIANCE partners as we have been working hard summing up and organizing the first 18-month period of the project, while getting ready to report first results and achievements to the project monitoring experts of the European Commission.

The 1^st Review Meeting we held in February 2024. It went in a cooperative and friendly spirit of an open dialogue, sharing consortium impressive progress on the development of innovative, high performance antimicrobial coatings. The novel copper silica mesoporous nanoparticles (Cu-SMIN) represent a genuine topic of interest due to the new class of biocidal additives with a synergistic mode of action and low impact on the environment. The efforts so far have been focused on obtaining the Cu-SMIN structure and the initial optimization of the synthesis conditions for the nanoparticles. Various methods for incorporating copper on the SMIN particles are being explored and the activities on nanoparticles functionalization with essential oils is in progress.  With regard to the second family of additives, the AMP-functionalized Cu-SMIN for enhanced contact killing action, several antimicrobial peptides have been extracted from keratin, with proved antiviral and antibacterial activity.

With regard to the green synthesis of sustainable binder formulations for the nanocoatings, partners were eager to share that the project is on track with the development of fluorine-free hybrid (inorganic-organic) sol-gel based coatings that are considered for use with home appliances. The initial expectations regarding easy-to-clean performance combined with mechanical resistance, good aesthetic appearance and resistance to cleaning agents was upgraded in the course of the project, with oleophobicity being additionally investigated.  Another big challenge that we undertook from the beginning was to formulate liquid with lowest possible content of volatile organic solvent.

The nanostructuration techniques have been optimized, with certain methods achieving excellent results and others needing more work. Partners have been developing a process of fabrics pretreatment with hydrogels based on natural components, free of persistent chemicals.

Throughout the lifespan of RELIANCE, sustainability is at the core in all phases of the value chain. Some of our forthcoming activities comprise the full life cycle assessment of selected bioactives and nanocoatings, including “cradle to cradle” environmental footprint and economic validation of the novel developments, offering the possibility to explore additional market applications. The toxicity of novel mesoporous nanoparticles and nanocoatings are to be addressed with an eco- and cyto-toxicological regulatory evaluation which will be completed with in-vivo tests.

RELIANCE consortium continues its research and creative work towards achieving project’s ambitious objectives, pleased with the positive evaluation of the Commission and taking into account its recommendations. Stay tuned and connect with us on social media for breakthrough news and more insights on our path from the lab to the demo use cases.

---

Pathogens contributing to spread of infections can cause considerable cost in human life and economic damage. It is estimated that only antimicrobial resistance infections are responsible for 110,000 deaths and 1.5 billion EUR per year in healthcare costs and productivity losses.

The saying “All roads lead to Rome” had certainly held true for RELIANCE partners who gathered last week in the ancient city spread on seven hills, for their 6^th management meeting.

The event hosted by the University of Rome Tor Vergata and Policlinico Militare di Roma comprised a busy schedule, dense with presentations on work progress, challenges encountered on the way and effective solutions for alleviating potential repercussions on follow on activities of interconnected packages.

The project has entered its mid phase, expected to deliver more than 10 deliverables by the end of May, and reach two more milestones, deriving from the completion of the development and up-scaling of the copper doped silica mesoporous nanoparticles, their antimicrobial functionalization and the development of the nanoparticles’ dispersion matrix as well as the development and upscaling of the organic coating formulations.

Along with that, the consortium is preparing for its first Review Meeting in February, to report on results and key achievements. Opportunities to continue coordinating next steps were not missed even during coffee and lunch breaks while enjoying the delicious Italian cuisine and flavorful espresso.

Excited with the impressive research progress it had scored so far, the group was happy to delve into an insightful tour of Rome and learn more about the history of the Colosseum and the gladiator battles, Basilica of San Clemente, Basilica di San Giovanni, the Vatican and so much more. Despite the drizzle, it was a beautiful evening, dissolving into a cozy dinner embraced with the fragrance of homemade bread and pasta, lively chatter, laughter and optimism for what’s next. 

The Medical Biodefense Conference (MBDC), held on October 22 – 25, 2023, in Munich, Germany, is the world’s largest specialist conference in the field of medical biodefence, bringing together experts from science, politics and the security and health sector from all over the world. It provides a platform to discuss strategies and research on measures against biological threats, that can be applied in natural disease outbreaks as well as in bioterrorist attacks.
Despite the current international crises and armed conflicts, the organisers managed to put together a full and scientifically valuable programme with over 70 talks and more than 130 poster presentations, with around 450 attendees.
Over two and a half days, participants presented and discussed a wide range of biosecurity-related topics: from decontamination of ships, application of innovative bioinformatics developments and new findings in biotoxin research to clinical cases and the potential use of bacteriophages in diagnostics and therapy. (Source https://go4bsb.de/node/284)

What were the main topics the conference covered?

• Antibiotics, Antivirals and Medical Countermeasures
• Bacteriophages for Diagnostics and Therapeutics
• Big Data for Surveillance and Outbreaks
• Bioforensics
• Biological Toxins
• Biosafety & Biosecurity
• Emerging Pathogens
• Molecular Epidemiology
• German Biosecurity Program
• Outbreak Management
• Mobile Bio-Reconnaissance and Tools for Rapid Responses
• Preparedness & Response Policies
• Vector borne and Zoonotic Diseases

How was RELIANCE represented?

✓ An oral presentation focused on the preliminary results achieved in the study of the antiviral activity of essential oils, highlighting that i) Carvacrol and Eugenol exhibit a strong virucidal activity against respiratory viruses (Influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2) and the alphavirus Chikungunya Virus; ii) Menthol and Thymol show a minor virucidal activity against the viruses studied; iii) The essential oils studied don’t exert any virucidal activity against MS2 bacteriophage.

✓ A poster demonstrated the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of E. coli in response to different concentrations of carvacrol (Ca) by studying differentially expressed genes with RNA-seq analysis, highlighting that the findings suggest that carvacrol may affect biological pathways associated with the inhibition of biofilm formation.

Follow the link if interested in downloading the poster.
More about the conference: https://conference.instmikrobiobw.de/

Last week of November 2023, RELIANCE partner Centexbel held a workshop at their premises in Zwijnaarde, Belgium called “The Horizonverkenning Groene innovaties voor textiel en kunststoffen” (Horizon exploration Green innovation for textiles and plastics).  The intent of the workshop was to keep the textile and plastic industry informed of new developments in the field of green innovations in textiles and plastics.

In addition to the recurring themes of patents concerning green innovations, attention was paid to the latest advancements in recyclable, recycled and bio-based materials, textile fibre recycling technologies and sustainable innovations presented at the ITMA fair. The event was attended by a few representatives of the research community as well as more than 30 representatives of the textile, plastics and chemical industry. During the workshop, the development of biobased and biodegradable polyurethane coatings was presented by David De Smet, who highlighted Centexbel’s work on developing bio-based polyurethane coatings for textiles within RELIANCE while also introducing the project’s main objectives.

RELIANCE project partners from HES SO participated at the Plastics Update Conference 2023 – Beyond Business as Usual, on 14 November 2023 in Fribourg, Switzerland.

The benefits of plastics are numerous and often favored over other materials such as metal, glass, ceramic, paper, and cardboard. However, over the past 70 years, the irresponsible management of plastics products has transformed a once-successful narrative into a widely perceived tragedy. As a result, continuing with Business as Usual is no longer a viable option. A forward-thinking strategy is essential to ensure a sustainable future, and the alternatives require a complex socio-economic paradigm shift in the mindset of all citizens and transdisciplinary actions for companies and involved stakeholders.

The Plastics Update conference endeavors to outline a roadmap spanning generations, focusing on shaping plastics – particularly, polymeric materials – to facilitate and foster the creation of a sustainable society. To this end, the Plastics Update Conference 2023 is bringing together speakers who offer a vision BEYOND Business as Usual, that address various aspects, including the topics about integration of bio-based polymeric materials, digitalization, legislative frameworks, and societal and economic alternatives.

This forward-thinking open system approach embraces multi-generational themes. It includes tackling current challenges, envisioning the future of greening 2.0, and striving for the sustainable integration of human activities within a diverse biosphere.

RELIANCE partners had a role in the organization of the event and presented 2 posters during the conference, entitled “Keratin-based antimicrobial peptides for smart response self-disinfected surfaces – Isolation & Characterization” and “Bio-based antimicrobial peptides for smart response self-disinfected surfaces”, respectively.

RELIANCE posters presented at conferences can be found in the Results section of the website.

Beginning of November, partner Millidyne attended the popular annual gathering of students of Biotechnology called RekomBIOnaato (Recombination, aka Reko). This year, the event was organized by the student guild of Tampere University’s biotechnology and biomedicine students where loads of new people from different parts of Finland met and took part in the interesting program activities.

Millidyne participated with a company presentation, which included RELIANCE as one of the projects they are involved in, providing a general overview of the project’s ambition, key objectives and expected results. The event was attended by 150 university students.

The Physics and Chemistry of Microfluidics Gordon Research Conference took place 4 – 9 September in Tuscany, Italy. The event is a premier international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, while prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages.

The subtopic of the conference was Microscale Systems: From Physical Phenomena to Biological Applications, with a program comprising a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders, a wide range of institutions and organizations from all over the world, all interested in the latest developments in the field.

Prof. Fabiana Arduini, University of Rome Tor Vergata (UNITOV) took part in the conference and presented on “Paper-Based Electrochemical (Bio)sensors as Smart and Sustainable Microfluidic Devices”, based on unpublished examples from RELIANCE taken from the conducted research on a  microfluidics set-up for virus detection to evaluate the efficiency of the antimicrobial nanocoatings within the project. In addition to the primary talks, the conference featured poster sessions from scientists with various level of professional development. The free time in the afternoons and communal meals allowed for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field. The remote location where the five conference days were held at, fostered a sense of camaraderie and created scientific communities striving for lasting collaborations and friendships.

The XXX Conference of the Analytical Chemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI) took place from 17 to 21 September in the Italian city of Vasto. The topics of the conference regarded the recent scientific advances in the sector of Analytical Chemistry at large. A particular focus was placed on contributions related to the development of theories, materials, methodologies, and instrumental techniques for the qualitative and quantitative compositional determination of chemical systems, design and development of (bio)sensors, advanced separation techniques, integrated analytical systems, techniques and methods of characterization and specification as well as field and remote measurements for environmental, food and medical diagnostics, and  development and application of theoretical models and chemometric tools for the evaluation of the quality and significance of chemical information.

RELIANCE partners from the University of Rome Tor Vergata (UNITOV) participated in the event and presented the project with a poster entitled “A paper-based device for surface essential oils monitoring”, which shared some preliminary results from work package seven dealing with analysis of the antimicrobial properties of the nanocoatings and the durability of the antimicrobial action under certain circumstances.

RELIANCE poster was presented as part of the Electroanalytics session. Other featured sessions that were conducted in parallel were Food, Environment and Cultural Heritage, Bioanalytic-omics, Chemometrics, Balances, Forensic, Green Chemistry, Science Separations, Sensors-Biosensors, Mass spectrometry, Spectroscopy and Toxicology – Health.

Visit our Results section to check on other poster presentations made by RELIANCE.