Blood2Power has been officially launched

Blood2Power, the groundbreaking project aimed at revolutionizing vascular medical devices, was officially launched on October 1st, 2023. The initiative secured a €2.88 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder Challenge under Horizon Europe, marking a significant step towards reshaping the landscape of cardiovascular healthcare.

Led by Inês Gonçalves, the Blood2Power consortium brings together expertise from Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), the Institute of Materials Physics of the University of Porto (IFIMUP), the University of Navarra in Spain, and the Medical University of Vienna in Austria. This collaborative effort is a response to the staggering 16.8 million annual deaths worldwide attributed to cardiovascular diseases.

Over the next three years, the project aims to develop intelligent vascular medical devices capable of sending alerts before failure occurs. These devices will enable early medical intervention, preventing new cardiovascular events.

 

“The technological breakthrough involves the development of biocompatible triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), converting the body’s mechanical energy into electrical energy.”

 

Andreia Pereira, a key member of the i3S team, highlights the significance of this advancement. Collaborating with IFIMUP researchers João Ventura and André Pereira, the project aims to convert the body’s mechanical energy into electrical energy to power the intelligent vascular prostheses. Crucial to the project is the collaboration with the University of Navarra, led by researcher Andoni Beriain. This collaboration focuses on developing an energy management unit and a miniaturized, ultra-low-consumption wireless system. These components will store generated energy and transmit vital data to external electronic devices, such as smartphones or watches. The success of the project will be validated through testing the performance of the intelligent vascular prosthesis in an animal model led by researcher Helga Bergmeister from the Medical University of Vienna.

As Blood2Power embarks on this transformative journey, the project holds the promise of revolutionizing cardiovascular care through cutting-edge technology and international collaboration. Stay tuned for updates on this groundbreaking initiative.