iBB

The project Algae2Fish led by Frederico Ferreira from SCERG-iBB has received funding from the Global Food Institute with the aim of developing a boneless cultivated seabass fillet. 3D printing technology will be used to produce scaffolds that will give the fillet structure, replicating the fibrous texture of fish. The scaffolds will be formed using material from algae and plants, with the algae contributing valuable omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in conventional fish. Read more about the project here.

A new research project “CAPTURA- Use of functionalized particles for the enrichment and efficient detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical and environmental samples” has been recently awarded to IST by the Compete 2020 programme (Call 02/SAICT/2020 - SAICT, Projetos de IC&DT, Testar com Ciência). The project’s overarching goal is to detect SARS-CoV-2 in samples other than nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs, like urine, saliva and also in environmental samples, like residual waters. Efforts will be also mobilized to develop tests for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigens. The project is a consortium of three research units of IST - iBB, the Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies and the Laboratory of Analysis of IST - and is headed by Leonilde Moreira from BSRG-iBB.

A team of researchers from iBB-BERG, including Carlos Rodrigues, Ricardo Pereira, Pedro Fernandes, Prof. Joaquim Sampaio Cabral and led by Carla de Carvalho, will contribute to the development of enzymes for a new generation of environmentally friendly consumer products in the EU project FuturEnzyme. The consortium of 16 leading academic and industrial partners, led by Dr. Manuel Ferrer from CSIC (Spain), will develop innovative solutions that will combine big biodata mining and bio-prospecting, disruptive machine learning and protein engineering, nano-biotechnology, fermentation and downstream-processing systems, and pre-industrial testing. Innovative solutions will be proposed to discover, design, optimize and formulate new enzymes to develop detergents, textiles and cosmetics that combine a high level of functionality with improved sustainability, thus responding to the demands from consumers and industries.

FCT has opened a call for scientific research and technological development (SR&TD) project grants to support innovative ideas in all research domains that may make significant contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge. Both long term (36 months) and short term (18 months) projects will be funded. The deadline for submission of proposals is the 10th march. Click here to learn more.

Photo details: Speciments of bacteria, wikimedia, PD.