Technion Researchers Awarded ERC PoC Grants
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the recipients of 100 new Proof-of-Concept (PoC) grants in the first round of the 2024 competition. Among the awardees are Professors Shulamit Levenberg and Amit Meller from the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering.
Each grant, valued at €150,000, aims to help researchers transition their groundbreaking discoveries towards practical applications and early commercialization phases.
Prof. Levenberg was awarded the PoC grant for her work on bioactive reinforcing bioink for hybrid bioprinting of implantable bone. “BioForceInk” is a novel bioink designed for 3D bioprinting that can be printed at room temperature and solidifies at body temperature, creating strong, porous scaffolds for bone implants. Enhanced with factors promoting bone and blood vessel growth, BioForceInk aims to improve bone healing and integration. This project will develop and test these bioprinted implants for bone regeneration, collaborating with industry partners for commercialization. BioForceInk’s combination of mechanical strength and biological activity has the potential to advance clinical bioprinting and could be adapted for various tissue types.
Prof. Meller was awarded the PoC grant for his work on fingerprinting single protein molecules for biomarker assisted precision medicine. The SMProTrack project aims to develop a groundbreaking single-molecule protein sensing method using silicon nano-channels and AI algorithms to achieve unmatched accuracy and detail. This low-cost, portable technology can detect multiple proteins from tiny samples. Focusing on diagnosing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) via liquid biopsy, the project will validate its effectiveness with clinical samples. SMProTrack seeks to provide a cost-effective, highly sensitive tool for rapid and accurate protein detection, with potential applications in various liquid biopsy diagnostics.
