ASINA

Anticipating safety issues at the design stage of nano product development

Principal investigator: Anna Luisa Costa
Involved personnel: Magda Blosi, Carlo Baldisserri, Andrea Brigliadori, Antonio Crimaldi, Lara Faccani, Davide Gardini, Simona Ortelli, Marina Serantoni, Felice Carlo Simeone, Ilaria Zanoni

Starting date: 01/03/2020
Duration: 42 months
Total funding: 5 998 386,25 €
Grant Agreement No.: 862444
Call: H2020-NMBP-TO-IND-2019
Topic: NMBP-15-2019 – Safe by Design, from science to regulation: metrics and main sectors (RIA)
Coordinator: Anna Luisa Costa (CNR-ISTEC)
Consortium: 21 partners
Project Officer: Alessia Amodio
Official website: https://www.asina-project.eu/

ASINA aims to develop design strategies for the formulation of intrinsically safe nanotechnological products and processes (safe-by-design strategies, SbD). In particular, it focuses on two representative categories of products and related processes: 1) nanostructured coatings for the abatement of organic and biological pollutants, conveyed by environmental vectors, such as water and air, and 2) micro / nano-encapsulation systems for the transport of anti-aging and antimicrobial active ingredients, in cosmetic applications. ASINA project adopts an industrial methodology of the type 6-Sigma for the improvement of quality and safety of the proposed products / processes, according to a sequence of steps that it envisages:

• DEFINITION: formulation of process and product hypotheses
• MEASURE: measurement of technical and functional performance of the product and assessment of its impact on human health and on the environment during the life cycle of the product
• ANALYSIS: analysis of characterization factors such as the chemical-physical properties of the materials / products and of the process parameters and correlation with the response functions (performance, cost, and safety)
• DESIGN: development of product / process design alternatives, based on previous answers and identification of the most promising strategies
• VERIFY: scale-up of the proposed solutions, with implementation on a pilot scale and adaptation to regulatory requirements

As a final output, the ASINA project elaborates a ROADMAP that collects all the characterization factors and response functions identified, the measurement and analysis strategies, towards a standardization (certification) of the optimal design strategies. Finally, the roadmap also provides information to potentially interested companies on how to implement the proposed SbD strategies and place them within the regulatory framework of reference.

Two other CNR institutes are involved in the project: CNR-STIIMA (represented by Claudia Vineis e Alessio Varesano) for the characterization of the antibacterial properties of fabrics and other coated substrates and CNR-ISAC (rappresented by Franco Belosi and Fabrizio Ravegnani) for the characterization of the inhalable fraction of nanoparticles, potentially released during the production and use of products “nano-enabled”.

ISTEC is the Project Coordinator and WP1 leader – Material quality design criteria: in this WP the candidate materials for the proposed Value Chains are collected, such as nano-TiO2, variously functionalized, for the realization of photocatalytic coatings with self-cleaning / antibacterial / antiviral activity and the micro-nano capsules with a polymeric or inorganic matrix for the delivery of anti-aging / antibacterial / antiviral active ingredients (Ag-nanoparticulate and essential oils). ISTEC is as well WP7 leader – Project coordination and management: the activities in this case includes the scientific, administrative and financial management of the project; the daily, monthly, annual organization of activities, in compliance with the deadlines imposed by the contract; constant support to partners in compiling scientific and financial reports; budget planning and everything related to the bureaucratic aspects of the project.

Partners:
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB)
Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation (TECNALIA)
Acondicionamiento Tarrasense Associacion (LEITAT)
CentiTVC – Centro de Nanotecnalia e Materials Tecnicos Funcionais e Inteligentes Associacao (CENTI)
Transgero Limited (TGO)
University of Limerick (UNILI)
Commissariat A L Energie Atomique et Aux Energies Alternatives (CEA)
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
Project SAS di Massimo Perucca (HUB)
Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione-UNI (UNI)
Colorobbia Consulting (COL)
Wiva Group SPA (WIVA)
Micananotech Limited (MICA)
Bionanoplus SL (BIONANO)
Red of View SRL (RED OF VIEW)
Koivisto Antti Joonas (APM)
Warrant HUB SPA (WH)
Angel Consulting SAS di Matteo Zanotti Russo & C (AC)
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISTU)
Peta International Science Consortium Limited (PETA)