Production and Development of Novel Natural Nano and Micro Biomaterials and Diagnostic Technologies (BioEVEngine)

A universal secreted organismal nano- and micro level biomass, the extracellular vesicles (EVs), can provide tremendous biomaterials and new technologies for (bio)catalysis, bioeconomic, electronics and ICT. The EVs are present widely in nature, in water, air and in ground, and can also be found in berries, trees and milk. The EVs provide excellent biomaterials for novel diagnostics, biological drugs, superfoods and medical imaging. The EVs also serve to transmit to target cells RNA, DNA, protein and metabolites by endocytosis making them highly relevant biomaterial for information transfer in organisms as well.

The objective is to identify the EVs from natural sources (with focus on berries, trees and milk), address their use as novel biomaterials in medicine and as biological therapeutics, and to develop essentially needed EV isolation technologies based on nanocellulose and drop fluidics.