Sustainability
Sustainability
IORS and BRFAA/NKUA members are joint participants in this project.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are key players in cell communication, involved in both normal and disease processes. Despite their potential in healthcare (particularly in drug delivery and diagnostics), progress is hindered by limited technological readiness and the absence of standardised guidelines. Current methods for EVs purification are inefficient, which restricts their application in personalised medicine. A breakthrough is needed to fully harness their capabilities in non-invasive diagnostics and targeted therapies. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EXPAND-EV project aims to solve this by developing scalable, cost-effective EV purification systems. These systems will enhance cancer diagnostics for lung, breast and liver malignancies, while at the same time exploring edible plant-based EVs as carriers of therapeutic molecules.
The COST Action SNOOPY will bring together a network of experts and young researchers from diverse disciplines (chemistry, biology, biochemistry, materials science, nanotechnology, medicine, physics) to overcome existing barriers to predict and implement bioactive peptides’ ability to self-assemble into functional nanostructures, including those at the interface with membranes, potentially forming pores and channels. This is a fast-growing field with enormous potential for therapy (including targeted cancer therapy, drug delivery, amyloidosis inhibition, regenerative medicine, membrane channels, and antimicrobials), and for the development of nanotechnological tools that could include potential use in diagnostics, optics, catalysis, and bioelectronics. Theoreticians and experimentalists of the SNOOPY Action will synergize to enable in silico predictions of self-assembly behavior, as well as to develop new advanced characterization methods, and to produce them and test them too. The expertise gathered by the Action will be applied to train and build the career of younger members. The geopolitical balance of the Action is strategically set to level the gap between COST Members, and to make its diversity a tactical asset to boost creativity and foster new ideas. The Action will have socioeconomical impact through the search for new diagnostic and therapeutic solutions to address some of the most formidable challenges of the society (e.g., advance our understanding of amyloidoses and antimicrobial resistance), to assist scientists and industry in the development of new technologies (e.g., peptide nanostructures as vaccine adjuvants) and to develop more sustainable processes (e.g., greener peptide synthesis, or using peptides as biodegradable substitutes to polluting alternatives).
IORS became a member of the European Liquid Biopsy Society in 2024, continuing project aims in this field with a vast network of partners from the academic and the private sector. The ELBS aims to ensure that liquid biopsy (LB) tests soon become part of clinical routine to benefit cancer patients (< 5 years). Its mission is to promote comprehensive research on liquid biopsy leading to robust LB assays that are subsequently validated in clinical trials providing evidence for the clinical utility of LB. In order to close the gap between the thousands of research publications and the lack of LB biomarkers available in routine clinical practice, the ELBS strategy is to:
- Build a strong and interconnected network with all essential stakeholders on board
- Define good practice criteria for the inclusion of LB in clinical trials
- Revise and design “ELBS approved” clinical trials in the realm of LB
- Benchmark novel technologies
- Improve and establish SOPs
- Conduct multi-center ring trials assessing and comparing technology proficiency
- Develop strategies for the translation of liquid biopsy assays to routine clinical practice
ELBS partners believe that the goal of improving patient care through LB assays will only be reachable as an agile and devoted collective. The combined expertise of all members firmly establishes the ELBS as a driving initiative in the LB field.
Project title: widerAdvance Facility – the Dissemination and Exploitation Facility for Widening projects
