Projects

Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC

In the last 10 years, the permanent members of the MAMBIO Group have participated as coordinators/WP leaders/principal investigators in over 25 different research projects funded by the European Commission (8; e.g., Piezo4Spine, HyPELignum, MULTIFUN, NANOMAG and ByAxon), the Spanish Government (8; e.g., TED2021-130191B-C41, IRONM@N, MAGO, COMANCHE and MAG4SPINAL), the Comunidad de Madrid Regional Funding Programmes (2) and others (7), with a total budget of over 8.5 M€. Further details on the most relevant past and present projects are included below:

Advanced Strategies and new Approaches for Protontherapy (ASAP-CM) (Ref. S2022/BMD-7434):
Funding agency: Comunidad de Madrid (Ayudas a programas de actividades de I+D Biomedicina 2022)
Principal investigator: Luis Mario Fraile (UCM); Puerto Morales and Ana Espinosa (CSIC)
Total amount: 47 k€. Period: 4 years (2023-2026)

Piezo4Spine: Piezo-driven theramesh: A revolutionary multifaceted actuator to repair the injured spinal cord (GA 101098597):
Funding agency: HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDEROPEN-01
Coordinator: M. Concepción Serrano (ICMM-CSIC)
ICMM Participants: MaMBIO and ForceTool Groups
Participants: ICMM-CSIC, HNP-SESCAM (Spain), IIT (Italy), UC (Portugal), UCLouvain (Belgium), Black-Drop (Germany), and ACIB (Austria)
Total amount: 3.5 M€; 1.1 M€ for ICMM-CSIC. Period: 4 years (starting from 01/2023)
For further details, please visit the project website at https://piezo4spine.eu

Renewable energy to chemical mediated by H2O splitting coupling with CO2 capture and conversion (TED2021-130191B-C41):
Funding agency: MICINN (AEI, Proyectos orientados a la transición ecológica y a la transición digital)
Coordinator: Pascual Oña Burgos (ITQ-CSIC)
Principal investigator Subproject 3: M. Puerto Morales
Participants: ITQ, US, ICMM and UCA
Total amount: 263 k€ for MaMBIO. Period: 2 years (starting from 11/2022)

HyPELignum: Exploring wooden materials in hybrid printed electronics: a holistic approach towards functional electronics with net zero carbon emissions (Project ID: 101070302):
Funding agency: HORIZON-CL4-2021-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01, Programme: Functional electronics for green and circular economy (RIA)
Principal investigator: M. Puerto Morales
Total amount: 5 M€, 336 k€ for MaMBIO. Period: 09/2022 – 08/2026
For further details, please visit the project website at https://www.hypelignum.eu/

NanoAntiCOVID: Use of antianemic drugs and contrast agents based on iron oxide nanoparticles as antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses (Ref. PDC2021-120759-I00):
Funding agency: MICINN (AEI, Proof-of-concept, 2021)
Principal investigator: Domingo Barber (CNB-CSIC)
Total amount: 150 k€. Period: 2 years

Study of the synergy of the nanothermal and radiosensitizing effects in cells and tumours:
Funding agency: MICINN (AEI, Generación de Conocimiento 2021)
Principal investigator: Ana Espinosa
Total amount: 97 k€. Period: 2022 – 2025

MAG4Spinal: Smart magnetic bio-implants for neural regeneration: Application to spinal cord injury (Ref. PID2020-113480RB-I00):
Funding agency: MICINN (AEI, Retos de la Sociedad 2020)
Principal investigators: Sabino Veintemillas and M. Concepción Serrano
Total amount: 217.8 k€. Period: 01/09/2021 – 31/08/2024

MAG4Spinal project aims to develop a novel therapy for spinal cord injury based on the use of new magnetic scaffolds of high magnetic response as bio-implants, in combination with motor rehabilitation, to drive functional neural repair. This novel regenerative rehabilitation approach based on 3D-bioprinted scaffolds containing immunoactive modulators is expected to be per se capable of unblocking inherent neural regeneration mechanisms and promoting neural plasticity routes.

NESTOR-H2020-MSCA-RISE (GA No.101007629):
Principal investigator: Gerardo Goya (Universidad de Zaragoza)
Principal investigator CSIC: M. Puerto Morales
Total amount: 837 k€, CSIC 156.4 k€. Period: 2021 – 2025

NESTOR project aims to develop atomically-designed nanozymes based on versatile iron-oxide-based materials, to assess their true toxicological impact and to theoretically model the microscopic mechanisms of their enzymatic-like reactions (e.g. catalase-like, peroxidase-like) and to achieve a product-oriented enzymatic activity with minimum toxicological impact, a highly relevant societal concern.

IMAGINE: Implementing MAgnetic targeting of nano-Guided ImmuNE cells:
Funding agency: Fight Kids Cancer 2020 by European Science Fondation
Principal investigator: Antonio Pérez-Martinez (Hospital La Paz). Participants: Spain- France- Norway
Total amount: 500 k€ (CSIC 125 k€, PI Domingo Barber). Period: 2021 – 2023

MARGO: MAxillofacial bone Regeneration by 3D-printed laser-activated Graphene Oxide scaffolds:
Funding agency: FLAG–ERA JTC 2019 – European Commission/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
Coordinator: Claudio Conti (Univ. Sapienza, Rome, Italy). Participants: Spain – Italy – Greece
Total amount ICMM-CSIC: 150 k€ (PI CSIC: Cefe López). Period: 05/2020 – 12/2023

Research on SARS-COV-2 and COVID19 disease, Proyectos intramurales CSIC especiales (Ref No. 202020E154):
Principal investigator: Dr. DOMINGO FRANCISCO BARBER CASTAÑO (CNB-CSIC)
Project title: «Nanopartículas inmunosupresoras con tropismo a pulmón para frenar la tormenta de citoquinas causante de la inmunopatología pulmonar y la replicación viral»
Total amount: 75 k€ (12 k€ ICMM-CSIC, PI CSIC: M. Puerto Morales). Period: 11/05/2021 – 10/05/2023

HOTZYMES: Redesigning biocatalysis: Thermal-tuning of one-pot multienzymatic cascades by nanoactuation (GA 829162):
Funding agency: European Commision, H2020 FET-OPEN-RIA
Coordinator: Valeria Grazu (ICMA-CSIC); PI ICMM-CSIC: M. Puerto Morales (WP1 leader)
Total amount: 2,99 M€ (ICMM-CSIC: 128 k€). Period: 2019-2022

COMANCHE: Colloidal magnetic nanoparticles for catalysis, health and environment (Ref. MAT2017-88148-R):
Funding agency: MINECO (AEI, Retos de la Sociedad 2017)
Principal investigator: M. Puerto Morales
Total amount: 181.5 k€. Period: 2018-2021

SECURMAT: Separation and Extraction of Cesium, Uranium and other Radioactive metals by magnetic materials (Ref. I-LINK1229):
Funding agency: CSIC
Participants: ICMM-CSIC and UNIVERSITÉ PARIS DIDEROT (France)
Principal investigators: M. Puerto Morales and Miryana Hemadi
Total amount: ~20 k€. Period: 01/2018 – 12/2019

ByAxon: Towards an active bypass for neural reconnection (GA 737116):
Funding agency: European Commission, H2020 FET-OPEN-RIA
Coordinator: Rodolfo Miranda (IMDEA-Nanociencia). PI ICMM-CSIC: M. Concepción Serrano (WP3 leader)
Total amount (CSIC+SESCAM): 453 k€. Period: 2017-2020. Participants: Spain – France – Italy – Germany

In close collaboration with national and international research institutions of scientific excellence such as the IMDEA-Nanociencia (Spain, coordinator), the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste (Italy), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), the Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) and the company mfd Diagnostics (Germany), this project focuses on the design and development of a novel prototype based on sensors and electrodes fabricated by last regeneration Nanotechnology techniques and able to reconnect neural circuitries through the injured spinal cord.

ENTREMAT-NEU: Design and development of a bioactive 3D biomaterial made of graphene oxide and functionalized for the treatment of injured spinal cord (Ref. MAT2016-78857- R):
Funding agency: MINECO (AEI, Retos de la Sociedad)
Principal investigator: M. Concepción Serrano
Total amount: 121 k€. Period: 2016-2020

Following with the research topic consolidated with the project CP13/00060 associated to the Miguel Servet I contract of María Concepción Serrano at the Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos (funded by ISCIII-MINECO- FEDER from 2014 to 2016), this project focuses on the design and development of a bioactive 3D biomaterial based on reduced graphene oxide and able to efficiently promote neural repair responses in the injured spinal cord by means of a significant functional recovery.

Magnetic nanoparticles for environment and health applications (Ref. PIE 201760E007):
Funding agency: CSIC
Principal investigator: M. Puerto Morales
Total: 66 k€. Period: 01/2017 – 12/2019

MAGO: Single-core and multi-core magnetic nanocrystals for biomedical applications:
Principal investigator: Sabino Veintemillas Verdaguer
Total Amount: 181 k€. Period: 2015-2017

This project consists in a detailed and systematic study of the properties of iron oxide magnetic nanocrystals (for its low toxicity) with particle sizes greater than 15 nm (to neglect surface effects) and smaller than 30 nm (to avoid the multidomain formation) forming single and multi core nanostructures, in powder form and in colloidal dispersion. The relationship among the microstructure (crystal size, number of magnetic cores, coating thickness) nature of the magnetic material (magnetite-maghemite, ferrihydrite and core-shell hybrid inorganic  materials), magnetic properties and the applicability of these colloids in Biomedicine will be studied.

NanoMag: Nanometrology Standardization Methods for Magnetic Nanoparticles:
Principal Investigator CSIC: M. Puerto Morales
Financing Agency: European Commission, FP7
Total amount: 520 k€ Period: 2013-2017

The aim of the NanoMag project was to improve and redefine existing analyzing methods and in some cases, to develop new analyzing methods for magnetic nanostructures. Using improved manufacturing technologies we synthesized magnetic nanoparticles with specific properties that were analyzed with a multitude of characterization techniques (focusing on both structural as well as magnetic properties) and brought the experimental results together to obtain a self-consistent picture which described how structural and magnetic properties are interrelated. This extensive survey was used to define standard measurements and techniques necessary for defining a magnetic nanostructure and quality control.

Tracking of magnetic nanoparticle biodistribution:
Funding agency: AXA Research Fund Project

The aim of this project was to characterise the biodistribution of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer treatment after intravenous systemic administration and their degradation over time. Outcomes from this project helped to identify the risk of exposure to new technologies, in particular to nanotechnology, which is one of the research priorities of the Biomedical Risk section from the Life Risks eligible research field of the AXA Research Fund. http://researchfund.axa.com/project/lucia-gutierrez-marruedo

IronM@N: Multifunctional nanostructures based on iron oxide (Ref. MAT2011-23641):
Fundign agency: MINECO, Spain
Principal investigator: M. Puerto Morales
Total amount: 230 k€. Period: 2011-2015

The aim of this project was to develop versatile preparation routes for a better control of the crystallochemical and structural factors that govern the properties of materials in which at least an iron oxide phase is a basic component. We were interested in applications (biomedical and water splitting) in which good crystallinity, good morphology control, good adsorption capabilities and sizes of the primary units within the nanoscale are required.

MULTIFUN: Multifunctional Nanotechnology for selective detection and Treatment of cancer (Ref. C-NMP/0878):
Funding agency: European Commission FP7-NMP-2010-LARGE-4
Principal investigator CSIC: M. Puerto Morales

NANOBIOMAGNET: Fundamentos y aplicaciones de moleculas, nanopartículas y nanoestructuras (Ref. S2009/MAT-1726):
Funding agency: Comunidad de Madrid, Consejería de Educación y Ciencia

MULTIPLAB: Preparation of multifunctional nanoplatforms for bioimaging (Ref. MAT2008-01489/NAN):
Funding agency: MINECO, Spain

The main objective of this project was to obtain new multifunctional magnetic nanoplatforms based on Fe-Si-Bi by thermal decomposition and laser pyrolysis and to develop new colloidal processing routes such as coating with inorganic compounds or encapsulation into liposomes to optimize the performance of such materials as molecular probes for different medical imaging techniques than MPI.

BONSAI: Bio-imaging with smart functional nanoparticles (Ref. LSHB-CT-2006-037639):

The overall objective of this project was the development of novel multifunctional nanoparticles based on Si and Fe by laser pyrolysis technique with tailored optical and magnetic properties for visualizing complex cellular structures (in tissues and organs), receptors, tumor cells and masses by ultrasensitive bio-imaging techniques.

NANOMAGNET: Magnetic nanostructures: Preparation, properties and biomedical and technological application (Ref. S-0505/MAT/0194):
Funding agency: Comunidad de Madrid, Consejería de Educación y Ciencia

This project aimed to study the interaction mechanisms of magnetic nanoparticles and cells and the effect of particle nature, size and coating on them.

MAGICO: Magnetic nanocomposites for biomedical applications (Ref. NAN2004-08805-C04-01):
Funding agency: MINECO

The aim of this project was to develop state-of-the-art synthetic routes that could allow a rigorous microstructural control to obtain nanoparticulate magnetic materials with adequate composition and properties (magnetic, colloidal and chemical) to be used in the biotechnology field in both in vitro (chemical separation) and in vivo applications (magnetic resonance imaging and suppression of malignancy).