Project description DEENESFRITPL Advanced nanoscale methods for healthy foods Functional foods can be improved by addition of bioactive nutrients to enhance health and mitigate disease conditions. Encapsulation can also be used to facilitate the absorption of poorly assimilated compounds. Innovative nanoscale methods are creating alternative delivery options for nutraceuticals. The EU-funded greenEV project proposes the development of a continuous plant tissue culturing system for the manufacturing of non-mammalian nanovesicles that will be used for the encapsulation, release and bioavailability absorption of selected nutraceuticals. Plants vesicles are morphologically similar to mammalian extracellular vesicles (EVs). The project will establish an innovative plant-based EV manufacturing system. It will also use an integrated analytical pipeline for the isolation, characterisation, encapsulation, consumption and toxicological description of plant-secreted EVs. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Functional foods boosted with bioactive nutrients to enhance health and mitigating disease conditions are experiencing an amazing progress. Encapsulation is becoming an important strategy to enhance the bioavailability of poorly absorbed compounds and developing healthy foods. In this context, novel nano-scale approaches to create alternative delivery options for nutraceuticals are emerging. GreenEV aims to develop a continuous plant tissue culturing system for the manufacturing of non-mammalian nanovesicles, and exploit them for the encapsulation, release and bioavailability enhancement of selected nutraceuticals. Plants cells have been shown to physiologically release phospholipid membrane-surrounded vesicles into the apoplast and environment. These vesicles are morphologically similar to mammalian extracellular vesicles (EVs). The process that drive the vesicle formation and their release through the semi-rigid cell wall is not trivial, and will be studied in the greenEV.The experienced researcher is a plant biologist with strong background in plant tissue culturing who team-up with the Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR) with considerable expertise in EV research to realize a uniquely interdisciplinary research program. The research proposed here will realize the following concrete objectives: 1. Set-up a novel, plant-based EV production system, 2. Employ an integrated analytical pipeline for the isolation, characterization, encapsulation, uptake and toxicological profiling of plant secreted EVs. Neither of these objectives have been addressed before and both have high potential to expand the knowledge in the field and to drive the research activity towards industrialized continuous production of plant EVs. The research objectives are integrated with concerted training objectives in EV research, omics, outreach program, dissemination events and considerable knowledge transfer in plant tissue culturing from the researcher to the IBBR host group. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencescell biology Keywords extracellular vesicles nanovectors plant cell suspension culture mass spectrometry nutraceuticals secretion mechanisms biochemistry continuous reactors gingko biloba tomato cosmeceuticals Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE Net EU contribution € 183 473,28 Address Piazzale aldo moro 7 00185 Roma Italy See on map Region Centro (IT) Lazio Roma Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00