MARA-BASED INDUSTRIAL LOW-COST IDENTIFICATION ASSAYS

Informations projet

MARILIA

N° de convention de subvention: 952110

DOI

10.3030/952110

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 6 Mai 2020

Date de début 1 Septembre 2020

Date de fin 28 Février 2023

Financé au titre de

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)

Coût total

€ 2 000 741,25

Contribution de l’UE

€ 1 999 972,50

Coordonné par

AIT AUSTRIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GMBH
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MARILIA (MARA-BASED INDUSTRIAL LOW-COST IDENTIFICATION ASSAYS)

Période du rapport: 2022-03-01 au 2023-02-28

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

The fast and cost-efficient detection of pathogens is highly important in many sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and food industry. However, current technologies are limited, and significant advances are required to develop lowcost detection assays that can detect a few bacterial cells within less than one hour. In the FETOpen project MARA, which is the basis for MARILIA, we have developed novel technologies and tools that have a high exploitation potential. Thus, we have initiated the follow-up project MARILIA, which aims to exploit these results and realise a new detection concept for the fast, low-cost identification of human pathogens in water samples.
In MARILIA, we aim to increase the technology readiness level (TRL) of our novel detection concept from TRL 2 to TRL 5. A well-balanced consortium has been established, comprising an applied research institute as coordinator
(AIT Austrian Institute of Technology), the University of Zagreb, the basic research institute Ruder Boskovic Institute, the SME Dayone acting as business incubator, and the large company IREN engaged as water supplier in northern Italy. If the MARILIA detection
assay meets our interally defined KPIs regarding specificity and sensitivity, a start-up will be founded to commercially exploit the innovations in the post-project phase.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

The project has five work packages (WP). Two are dedicated to communication, dissemination, commercial expolitation, and project and innovation management. Within these two WPs, a detailed market and stakeholder analysis was conducted. Further, product requirements and specifications including legal and regulatory aspects were collected. Several use and test cases for our technologies were defined. A communication and dissemination toolkit including a project website and social media presence was elaborated. An IP protection and exploitation plan was elaborated. Finally, a business model for the MARILIA technologies was developed.

The other three WPs are dedicated to R&D and product development. So far, our activitied there resulted in at least three exploitable results. (I) A bacteria detection assay based on bacteria binding peptides, (II) site-specific introduction of DNA-tags on proteins, (III) software for the modelling of DNA/protein hybrid systems.
Three manuscripts were published, two others are currently under review. Two posters were presented at conferences.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

Based on our assesment, we consider that the project has improved the state of the art in two sectors. First, the chemical prototocols developed and evaluated for the regio-selective DNA-tagging of glycoproteins can be considered new. Second, in silico modeling framework provides new possibilities to model and validate DNA/protein hybrid structures.
Furthermore, we expect that we will develop a bacteria detection assay for water samples at the end of the project. The potential impact of this result is the foundation of a new startup commercially exploiting this technology.

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