FORTIFIEDx

Meet the partner time! Today we present Zdalny Serwis Sp. z o.o.. Zdalny Serwis sp. z o.o. is a small Polish company developing a novel reactive inkjet printer mixing inks in-flight. Basically, Zdalny Serwis is like CERN, but for Small Droplets, not Large Hadrons. In FORTIFIEDx, Zdalny Serwis is a part of the team which is tasked to develop soft-to-rigid transition materials by creating materials with gradual change in their properties. These materials aim to connect the rigid lab-on-a-chip to a microneedle array and to elastic human skin. Maciej Zawadzki Krzysztof Zawada Paweł Choromański #ReactiveInkjetPrinting (RIP) #FunctionallyGradedMaterials (FGMs)

Join us on June 2-3 in Leuven at the Spring school PREPARE-EU "Connecting European Expertise for Pandemic Preparedness", organized by KU Leuven in the framework of EU project PCR-4-ALL and Leuven One Health. The spring school is aimed at graduate and PhD students as well as at post-doctoral researchers or other academic and industrial professionals working or interested in the broad variety of research fields related to pandemic preparedness. More info and registration: https://lnkd.in/eJ6NTVvc Check our fantastic line-up of speakers: https://lnkd.in/ehnz3JHu The spring school is organized in collaboration with 11 EU projects: -BE READY -BPath -COMPREHEND -DECIPHER https://lnkd.in/dw7iXAK9 -DURABLE https://lnkd.in/eBryUVyv -ESCAPE -FORTIFIEDx -LEAPS https://lnkd.in/ewmAeXQH -Triple-A-COAT -OneBAT -UniHealth EU

Meet the partner time! Today we present Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH (PCCL). PCCL is the leading Austrian Center of Excellence for application-oriented research in the field of polymer technology and polymer science. Three chemists from the "Chemistry of Functional Polymers" division will be working on the FORTIFIEDx project – Sandra Schlögl (Project lead), Elisabeth Rossegger (Project lead, supervision) & Roman Korotkov (PhD Student). In the FORTIFIEDx project, their aim is the development of a biocompatible photopolymer that is characterized by fast curing times to enable roll-to-roll nanoimprint lithography. In addition, welding below 70 °C within a few minutes should be achieved. They have already developed a system which allows welding within one minute at 50 °C and successfully scaled up the synthesis of the required polymer to prepare some prototypes. #DynamicCovalentNetworks #Photopolymerization #Upscaling #OrganicSynthesis #PolymerCharacterization 

Meet the partner time! Today we present the Institute of Chemistry of Polymeric Materials at Montanuniversität Leoben. The institute provides broad knowledge in the fields of macromolecular chemistry, physical chemistry of polymeric materials, and molecular characterization of polymers. Special research topics (USPs) include photochemistry of polymers, 3D printing of biocompatible structures, surface- and interfacial chemistry, as well as the technology of functional (nano) composites. Within the FORTIFIEDx project, the Institute of Chemistry of Polymeric Materials is responsible for the investigation and development of biocompatible photopolymers that allow the local control of surface wettability. Different strategies will be pursued to adjust the functionality, reactivity and polarity of the photopolymer surfaces in a spatially controlled manner. #SurfaceModification #Biocompatibility, #SpatiallyControlledFunctionalization #Degradation Thomas Grießer, Julian Maier, Montanuniversität Leoben

Meet the partner time! Today, we are excited to introduce the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp (ITM). The Department of Clinical Sciences of the ITM has a long-standing expertise in travel medicine and tropical diseases, including Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Viral Haemorrhagic Fever (VHF) diseases. The ITM hosts the HIV, STI reference centre and infectious and tropical diseases reference laboratories in Belgium and is represented in this project by two units. The Clinical Reference Laboratory (co-led by Dorien Van den Bossche) is largely involved in evaluating and co-developing HIV and STI diagnostic tools, while the Clinical Virology Unit (led by koen vercauteren) has expertise in virus diagnostic test development, with currently four main research lines: (i) Clinical and viral metagenomic sequencing, (ii) T-cell receptor sequencing, (iii) Mpox clinical virology, and (iv) Co-development of molecular tests compatible with microfluidics. In FORTIFIEDx, the ITM specific tasks will focus both on the optimization of a RT-RPA bioassay for LASV detection and the development of a RT-RPA bioassay for EBOV. Further analytical and clinical validation of the FORTIFIEDxVHF and FORTIFIEDxSTI bioassays and patch will be performed at ITM and in collaboration with partners from endemic countries. ITM partners: Dorien Van den Bossche, Isabel Brosius, koen vercauteren, Laurens Liesenborghs, Fien Vanroye, Alexandra Vujkovic, Tony Wawina B., Emma Siebenmann, Ella Baert, Katrien Kolf, Kristel Mertens #HIV #HIVSTD #LASV #iSIMPLE #FORTIFIEDx

Meet the partner time! Today we present temicon GmbH. Temicon is a global leader in technology, specializing in the mass production of microstructured and nanostructured components, films, and functional surfaces. Their innovative structures are utilized across various industries, including medical devices, diagnostics, automotive, solar, optics, and display technology. In FORTIFIEDx, as one of the industrial partners, Temicon supports the structure design engineering and manufacture nickel imprinting molds of up to 24" by using the LIGA process. Based on the development of JOANNEUM RESEARCH partner, Temicon will ramp up the R2R process on a tool size of up to 100 cm. #LIGAProcess, #R2RRampUp, #IndustrialScale, #Recyclability, #SelfTestingChips #FORTIFIEDx

A huge congratulations to the Tyndall National Institute MicroTIPs team on winning an Innovation Award at the #EARTOAwards24 in Brussels! This recognition highlights the incredible potential of the platform to transform digital health and medtech. It underscores the importance of collaborative research, which FORTIFIEDx is proud to be a part of. Check out these webpages for more information: - https://lnkd.in/e3h8G7Wp - https://lnkd.in/dc-WfzBa - https://lnkd.in/epAMAs3F #FORTIFIEDx #Microneedles #DigitalHealth #MedTech #MicroTIPs #Innovation #TransdermalDiagnostics #Biomarkers #PrecisionHealthcare #Biosensors

Meet the partner time! Today we present JOANNEUM RESEARCH. JOANNEUM RESEARCH (JR) is an Austrian research organization excelling in material innovation and sustainability assessment. JOANNEUM RESEARCH MATERIALS focuses on creating cutting-edge micro/nano-structures and functionalized surfaces, advancing from concept to prototype. Whitin FORTIFIEDx, JR handles chip fabrication, including mastering, stamp production, and high-throughput R2R replication. Bio-functionalization is performed using R2R-compatible technology. JOANNEUM RESEARCH LIFE specializes in life cycle assessments, evaluating the environmental impact of production, application, and end-of-life stages to ensure sustainability and climate resilience. Anja Haase, Laura Angermann-Krammer, Krzysztof Konrad Krawczyk, Maria Hingsamer #FORTIFIEDx #FORTIFIEDxProject #JoanneumResearch #SustainableInnovation

A big thank you to the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp for hosting our productive two-day FORTIFIEDx consortium meeting! The collaboration between our partners - JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Lammertyn lab, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Montanuniversität Leoben, Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH (PCCL), temicon GmbH, Zdalny Serwis Sp. z o.o., Tyndall National Institute, and CNFRSR - continues to drive innovation in diagnostic solutions. The energy and expertise shared during these sessions remind us why this project is so promising. Looking forward to the next steps in our journey to revolutionize healthcare diagnostics! A special thank you to Alexandra and Fien for organizing the meeting, and fun and interesting activities! #FORTIFIEDx #Innovation #HealthTech #EUresearch #Diagnostics #CollaborativeInnovation

Meet the partner time! Today we present CNFRSR. CNFRSR, under the leadership of the Guinean ministry of health, is one of the spearheads in clinical and biomedical research in the West African region and has the ambition to develop metagenomic sequencing capacity to support research and surveillance projects across the nation and the extended West African region. CNFRSR played a crucial role during the 2013-2016 and 2021 EBOV outbreaks in Guinea and conducted the first EBOV vaccine (PREVAC) and treatment (Favipiravir) trials. In FORTIFIEDx, CNFRSR will work on validating the FORTIFIEDxVHF bioassay modules analytically and clinically through a retrospective sample (with both biobanked plasma samples and whole blood collected from patients). #PandemicPreparedness, #DecentralizedInVitroDiagnostics, #ViralHemorrhagicFevers, #SubSaharanAfrica Karifa Kourouma Camara Bienvenu Salim Delamou Alexandre Abdoul Habib Beavogui Saran Caroline Tolno Armand Saloun Kamano