The Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), located in the University of Valencia Science Park, hosted yesterday Thursday the Pitch Competition, the final phase of the EBTon CSIC Valencia (Hackathon), an initiative that seeks to promote entrepreneurship and encourage knowledge transfer through the creation of Technology Based Companies (EBT). A total of 21 teams with CSIC research staff from all areas of knowledge and from all over the country were presented to this process, nine of these proposals reached the final that was held yesterday. And four have been the winning projects of this edition: Neurodiscovery (Institute of Medicinal Chemistry), 4D-Farms (Institute of Sustainable Agriculture), QS4Dx (Advanced Chemistry Institute of Catalonia) and Tarmemet (Center for Molecular Biology Severo Ochoa).
The initiative is part of Converge, the open innovation hub that CSIC created last year as a meeting place for research personnel, companies and social agents. In this context, the CSIC-EBTon Program was launched with the aim of identifying and supporting technological solutions based on research results, thus facilitating the creation of CSIC spin-offs. The four winning projects will receive 20,000 euros each, as well as the necessary support and assistance to launch and develop their business idea.
According to Ana Castro, Deputy Vice-President for Knowledge Transfer at CSIC, “the organization is giving an important boost to everything related to knowledge transfer and innovation, and proof of this is the organization of this hackathon, which is part of Converge, CSIC's innovation hub. It is a tremendously stimulating initiative for scientific staff because it seeks to awaken their interest in their own lines of research and make them see the potential of these ideas as possible business projects. It tries to energize the CSIC ecosystem and seeks to highlight the value of the science and innovation that is done within the CSIC”.
Winning projects
The project Neurodiscovery: for frontotemporal dementia was presented by Rafael León, a scientist at the Institute of Medicinal Chemistry (IQM-CSIC). It is an already patented, small and innovative drug with the potential to treat frontotemporal dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases, for which there are currently no curative treatments. As the researcher explains, “we have identified the ND523 molecule as a potential drug for the treatment of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other related tauopathies. Its mechanism of action is based on the induction of the transcription factor NRF2 (erythroid 2-related factor 2), which triggers the activation of a wide range of cytoprotective, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory genes”.
The 4D-Farms project: new sensors and algorithms to improve the productivity of woody crops was presented by José Antonio Jiménez Berni, researcher at the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (IAS-CSIC). It consists of a high-precision crop mapping system, which, thanks to a series of sensors, makes it possible to increase crop productivity. “We have developed a series of instruments and methodologies based on LiDAR sensors (those used in autonomous vehicles) that could represent a revolution in agriculture, since their cost and operability improve the results of other technologies such as drones or satellites. Their use makes it possible to optimize irrigation water consumption, increasing productivity by up to 20%”, says the researcher.
The initiative QS4Dx: Diagnostic kit for infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was presented by Carla Ferrero, a researcher at the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC). The project is a prototype that makes it possible to detect bacterial infections in 10 minutes and, in this way, obtain a faster and more accurate diagnosis of the patient. In the scientist's opinion, “the widespread implementation of this system would solve the diagnostic deficits in terms of response time and antibiotic prescription, sometimes unnecessary. And it would result in an improvement in the patient's quality of life and a reduction in healthcare costs.
The therapeutic strategy against ovarian cancer Tarmemet presented by Manuel López Cabrera, a researcher at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CBM - CSIC), is based on an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that specifically targets the cells of the tumor microenvironment that feed the tumor. “Our team offers a unique and novel therapeutic strategy, with application in the precision oncology sector, by targeting tumor niche cells, which are the ones that promote secondary tumor growth during metastasis in patients with ovarian cancer,” remarks the CBM-CSIC scientist.
The jury was composed of Ana Carrau, CEO of The Impact Project and member of WA4STEAM; Daniel Ramón, distiguished Research Fellowship Microbiome ADM; Jaime Esteban, Venture Capital Manager at Redit Ventures; Reyes San Segundo, manager of the European Programs and Technology Transfer Area at Madrid+d, and Werner Zippold, partner at Stratfields.