Using marine sponges and microalgae to restore the human body and the environment

A new scientific and industrial consortium has recently been set up in Barcelona, Spain, to develop antibacterial coatings from microalgae for hip and knee implants - the goal is to prevent tissue inflammation, infections and prosthesis rejection. Another consortium, coordinated from Paris, France, is to create compounds for anti-ageing drugs, food supplements, cosmetics and ‘bioremediation agents’ from sponges, echinoderms and soft corals. The projects are supported by almost €15 million in EU funds for research. Representatives from both teams attended a project coordinators day for EU grant beneficiaries organised in Brussels this week.

The Tascmar team is planning to collect marine invertebrates from the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Thailand, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and extract from them molecules with powerful bioactive compounds.

‘We are going to work with metabolites from invertebrates and symbionts from the deep sea which may regulate angiogenesis [the physiological mechanism through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels, a process that becomes dysfunctional with age]. This might solve ocular, articular and cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neural disorders,’ says Jamal Ouazzani, from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the project coordinator.

The consortium, with partners from Greece, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Israel and Thailand, is planning to build innovative industrial facilities for the cultivation of marine invertebrates and selected marine microorganisms by 2019.

Provided that all goes as planned, the Nomorfilm team will be screening 4,000 species of microalgae, mostly from European waters, to identify new antimicrobial agents, incorporate them into nanoparticles and create anti-biofilm coatings for ‘hip and knee implants’, advances project coordinator Sara Soto, from Fundació Centre de Recerca en Salut Internacional de Barcelona.

Animal testing is expected to take place at the very end of the project, also in 4 years’ time. The new prosthetic devices might be a reality in 2021 or 2022.

The Nomorfilm consortium includes partners from Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France and Greece.

Tascmar coordinator Jamal Ouazzani (left) and Nomorfilm coordinator Sara Soto (right)

Representatives from both projects attended an event organised by the Research Executive Agency (REA) yesterday in Brussels. 48 project coordinators discussed administrative, legal and financial EU research grant management matters.

The REA is implementing, on behalf of the European Commission, part of the EU framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon 2020, which covers, among other themes, food security and sustainable growth.