16-04-2024
Ana Rita Duarte, a researcher at LAQV-REQUIMTE, NOVA FCT's Chemistry Department, and PhD students Liane de Meneses and Filipe Oliveira, from LAQV-REQUIMTE's DES Solve research group, have won the international competition organized by Boehringer Ingelheim, the world's largest private pharmaceutical company, with a research project that proposes a sustainable solution for biological medicines. The project involves using sustainable green chemistry practices to overcome Boehringer Ingelheim's challenge. The solution includes the use of eutectic solvents, such as honey, which, due to their viscous nature, allow for better preservation of the structure of the molecules, including at room temperature, preserves the biopharmaceuticals and contributes to a smaller ecological footprint for the pharmaceutical industry.
The international competition promoted by Boehringer Ingelheim challenged researchers from all over the world to come up with preservation and sustainability solutions for biopharmaceuticals, also known as biological medicines, used mainly for autoimmune and cancer diseases. Biopharmaceuticals are made up of sensitive molecules with a limited lifespan, usually administered intravenously. Existing preservation is based on a freeze-drying process called lyophilization - with a considerable environmental footprint - high energy consumption and greenhouse gas production.
The Portuguese researchers competed against 23 other projects from 12 different countries and were selected for funding of 65,000 euros aimed at optimizing the solution, to be published in a leading international scientific journal.
"We are attentive to industry problems and we want the research we do at NOVA FCT to have an impact on the various aspects, economic, social and environmental. The selection of the solution proposed by our team demonstrates the pharmaceutical industry's clear commitment to greener and more sustainable applications," says Ana Rita Duarte.
News in the press:
Mel para preservar medicamentos biológicos vence concurso internacional, Sábado
Investigação da NOVA FCT sobre solução sustentável para medicamentos biológicos vence concurso internacional, Atlas da Saúde
Investigação da NOVA FCT vence concurso internacional da Boehringer Ingelheim, Health News
Investigação portuguesa vai contribuir para a diminuição da pegada ecológica da indústria farmacêutica, The Next Big Idea
