Project description
A little is about to go a long way when it comes to energy for biotechnological processes
Energy is needed to perform all kinds of tasks, and most systems require a continuous supply to keep going. When you burn the fuel in your car, you need to stop and fill up your tank again. Similarly, adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) is the body's energy currency, and it can be used to fuel biotechnological processes. ATP is converted to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), releasing the energy upon breakage of its bonds. As the ADP builds up, the majority of reaction in the cell stops. The EU-funded FuelVesicles project is commercialising its novel methodology to create ATP from an amino acid in synthetic vesicles while keeping the ATP/ADP ratio constant, potentially achieving a 'perpetual energy machinery' to fuel biotechnology innovation.
Objective
Numerous biotechnological processes require Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) as a form of free energy to drive endergonic reactions. The bottleneck is that after some time the reaction stops due to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) build up and the depletion of energy reserves. In living cells, functional and sustainable out-of-equilibrium networks exist. Scientists have tried to mimic such autonomous systems without the need for external interaction, or fuel supply. Real success hasn’t been reported. We managed to construct a fuel system in synthetic vesicles that is kept away from equilibrium by controlling the energy dissipation. These vesicles are power houses for sustainable production of ATP (and removal of ADP) much like mitochondria power the ATP-demanding reactions in the cytosol of a cell. In further tests, we were able to reach an order of magnitude longer autonomous operation of a real-life application making our approach truly unique. All the comparable approaches focus on feeding the reaction with ATP without draining of the ADP. Our system creates the fuel from an amino acid while the ATP/ADP ratio is kept constant. The gain for applications is evident; the reactions, and therefore systems, can operate autonomously for long periods of time. This is particularly important for mobile systems with limited supply of reaction materials and where user intervention has to be minimal. Therefore, we expect to enable a completely new generation of autonomous biotech and chemistry applications, such as targeted drug delivery, analytics of nucleic acids or proteins, and cascade reactions for (bio)chemical syntheses of antibiotics, vitamins and other complex molecules. In this PoC, we will advance the commercialization of our approach by carrying out a technical feasibility for sustainable production of ATP for long-lasting sequencing of DNA application. In addition, we will prepare a commercialization plan, carry out partnering actions and strengthen the IP further.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry organic reactions
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry amines
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-POC-LS - ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum Pilot
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2019-PoC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
9712CP Groningen
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.