EU-funded DINAMICS project presented at inaugural Pharma Test Expo 2011 in Cologne, Germany. Innovations have applications for pharma and food testing
DINAMICS presentation at the Pharma Test Expo
Our drinking water will be safe from potential terrorist attacks thanks to four years of collaborative efforts by European scientists from eight countries working on the DINAMICS research project, visitors to the inaugural Pharma Test Expo 2011 in Cologne, Germany, learned on February 10.
Civilian security became a hot issue of concern following the terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent wave of anthrax letters.
The European Commission responded by co-funding the development of a new water quality warning system to help prevent bioterrorist attacks through its detection of dangerous infectious agents, such as bacteria and viruses.
Scientists representing seven of the 12 leading-edge technology companies and public research institutes involved in the over 7 million-euro DINAMICS project reported on the innovations made since the research began in 2007 at a workshop at the Pharma Test Expo 2011 sponsored by Provenion Engineering, a partner in the DINAMICS project and an exhibitor at the Expo.
Provenion Engineering Stand at the Pharma Test Expo
“The aim of the project is to develop an online monitoring system for detecting the presence of pathogens in drinking water,” said Dr. Sabine Müller, project manager at the German technology transfer center Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum, which is currently in charge of financial and administrative management of the project as well as knowledge management and dissemination.
The project name, DINAMICS, reveals just how complex the research is. DINAMICS stands for Diagnostic Nanotech & Microtech Sensors.
The DINAMICS consortium brought together experts in the fields of:
- Water supply Management,
- Microbiological and molecular biology specimen handling,
- Nanometric film technology
- DNA nanostructures
- Sensor and chip technology (optical and electronics)
- Microfluidic components (chips)
- Automated fluid handling
- Microelectronics and signal processing
- Scientific instrument engineering
- Technology transfer
- Product development
The team produced what Dr Müller called a “lab-on-a-chip platform” to quickly detect pathogens in water. Their prototypes, which should be on the market in several years as both handheld and stationary instruments, include a “cost-effective DNA sensor,” that is combined to microfluidic components and electrical and electronic circuits.
Presentation by Dr. Sabine Müller, Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum
“These devices are next generation diagnostic tools for our water supply,” said Rolf Boetzel, Sales Manager at Provenion Engineering, the German company that engineered the prototype devices by integrating the various components of the project.
The beauty of the innovation is that it has possible applications in medical diagnostics, the food industry and in pharmaceutical testing, Boetzel added.
To view the DINAMICS workshop presented at the Pharma Test Expo 2011, click here.
For more information on the project, contact:
Dr. Christian Mittermayr, Project coordinator
Lambda GmbH
Tel. +43 7949 2090 3011
E-Mail Mittermayr@lambda.at
www.lambda.at
or
Dr. Sabine Müller
Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum
Tel. +49 721 9351914
E-Mail: sabine.mueller@steinbeis-europa.de
www.steinbeis-europa.de
or
Rolf Boetzel
Business Development
Provenion GmbH
Tel.:+49 (0)8091-5505-17
E-Mail: r.boetzel@provenion.de
www.provenion.de
You may also want to view the DINAMICS dedicated website:
http://www.dinamics-project.eu/
