NanoHouse collaborative project is funded by the European Commission in the frame of FP7 programs: NMP-2009-1.3-1 & ENV.2009.3.1.3.2 "Activities towards the development of appropriate solutions for the use, recycling and/or final treatment of nanotechnology-based products". This project started January 2010 for a duration of 42 months (until 06/2013) and a total budget of 3.1 M€.

This project aims at promoting a responsible and sustainable development of nanomaterials in building industry through a Life Cycle Thinking approach.

Nanomaterials can bring great advantages to building industry for sustainable development. Indeed, nanoparticles can increase the resistance to ageing (UV, mechanical stress, etc.) of construction materials particularly paints and coatings; they can replace toxic organic biocides and they can be advantageously used for air purification, thermal insulation, self cleaning, etc. Nevertheless, the development of nanomaterials in this economic area can develop dynamically only if the safety of humans and the environment is satisfactorily resolved. As far as human chronic exposure is concerned, addressing the issue of safety, and consequently of acceptability of nanoproducts calls for a focus on the places where people live. In this perspective, buildings and individual houses are critical in that, they constitute the major surrounding of people in developed countries.

The nine partners involved in NanoHouse project are generating missing data on the potential exposure levels and the hazard due to this chronic exposure for 2 nanoparticle types: nano silver and nano titanium dioxide contained in indoor and outdoor coatings and paints. Both direct and indirect exposures (through the environment to human: vegetables, drinking water) are considered. 

The general objective of the SAPHIR project is the safe, integrated and controlled production of multifunctional nanostructured products including their recycling and ensuring competitive production technologies.

Safe: all along the production sequence, no nanoparticles release will be encountered. This includes synthesis, recovery, conditioning, processing and handling.

Integrated: the whole production sequence consists in linking in safe way existing or emerging elementary processes.

Controlled: the production sequence is controlled by innovative systems covering:

• the efficiency of the processes (on-line instrumentation including vision and real-time data acquisition systems)

• the reliability of the products (non-contact 3D sensors for shape control)

• the safety of global production sequence with a special attention to the potential release of nanoparticles

• the traceability all along the life-cycle of the product

Recycling: recyclability issues will be addressed from design to the end-life of the products.

Competitiveness: Increase of competitiveness of the products both in pricing and performance is one of the project goals. Chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of final manufactured products should be improved. Industrial demonstration platforms will enable the assessment of both the technical and economic effectiveness of the “factory for nano‘s“ concept.

MEDITRANS represents a multidisciplinary Integrated Project dealing with targeted nanomedicines. Platform technologies will be developed with broad applicability to disease treatment, as exemplified by the choice for chronic inflammatory disorders (rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis), and cancer as target pathologies. Nanomedicines (based on carrier materials like polymeric and lipidic nanoparticles, nanotubes, and fullerenes) will be endowed with superior targeting and (triggerable) drug release properties. In parallel, MRI imaging probes will be designed that report on the localisation of the targeted nanomedicines, specific biomarkers, the drug release process and therapeutic outcome (imaging-guided drug delivery).

The consortium consists of 30 partners from 9 EU member states (including 1 new member state) and 3 associated states, and includes 13 industrial companies, 11 universities and 6 research institutes. The total budget is €16.1M with €11M as EC contribution and €5.1M as industrial support.

The MEDITRANS project has clear potential to forward targeted nanomedicines to the clinic, and will contribute to improved structural collaboration between industry and academia.

Project Structure:

SP1: Platform technologies

SP2: In vitro targeted delivery

SP3: In vivo targeted delivery

SP4: Toxicity risk assessment

SP5: Industrial exploitation

SP6: Training and dissemination