Start/end date: August 2024 – August 2025
Funding Agency/Programme: Ministry of University and Research. Sicilian Micronanotech Research And Innovation Center – SAMOTHRACE (Innovation Ecosystem – cascade call), National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
Partnership: Applicant/Coordinator: DI PIETRO GROUP srl (Città Giardini – Melilli – Siracusa); Collaborator: Fondazione Ri.MED.
Abstract: Development of a prototype of a smart device for respiratory disease self-testing. The proposed device will provide support for disease monitoring through the measurement of hydrogen peroxide concentration in easily accessible biological fluids (saliva and exhaled breath condensate), using a nanostructured biosensor previously developed by the partnership. The device will also include data processing systems, as well as Internet of Things (IoT) communication functions to allow real-time transmission of data to healthcare personnel to facilitate disease monitoring. In the initial phase of the project, Ri.MED Foundation will provide support for the analysis of the literature in order to determine the state of the art regarding the technologies currently used for inflammatory airways diseases monitoring. During the project, Ri.MED Foundation will provide support for the validation of the device in real operating conditions. In particular, the device will be used to measure the concentration of hydrogen peroxide released by bronchial epithelial cells exposed to pro/anti-inflammatory and pro/anti-oxidant stimuli in the presence of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory treatments. In parallel, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress will be measured using commercially available assays. This will allow to further validate the measurement of hydrogen peroxide as marker of airways inflammation and oxidative stress. Furthermore, once this first validation step will be passed, the device will be further validated using artificial saliva samples and samples of exhaled breath condensate taken from healthy volunteer subjects, in which different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide will be spiked.
Ri.MED UO: Experimental Lung Research
Ri.MED Principal Investigator: Chiara Cipollina
Other Ri.MED collaborators: Maria Rita Giuffrè
Il progetto è finanziato dall’Unione Europea (NextGeneration EU), M4/C2/I1.5 Creazione e rafforzamento di “Ecosistemi dell’Innnovazione”, Costruzione di “Leader territoriali di R&S”, dal titolo “Sicilian Micronanotech Research And Innovation Center – SAMOTHRACE”, PROGETTO “SAMOTHRACE” (ECS00000022).