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PAA Spheroid array platform as a tunable in vitro models
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Market Maturity: Exploring
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Market Creation Potential
This innovation was assessed by the JRC’s Market Creation Potential indicator framework as addressing the needs of existing markets and existing customers. Learn more
Women-led innovation
A woman had a leadership role in developing this innovation in at least one of the Key Innovator organisations listed below.
Location of Key Innovators developing this innovation
Key Innovators
UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDG)
This innovation contributes to the following SDG(s)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 3
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

The UN explains: "Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers responsible for child and maternal mortality.

Major progress has also been made on increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

However, many more efforts are needed to control a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues."

The EU-funded Research Project
This innovation was developed under the Horizon Europe project POLINA with an end date of 31/12/2027
  • Read more about this project on CORDIS
Description of Project POLINA
Photolitography, which produces geometrical structures through light-induced polymerisation of monomers with high accuracy, precision and spatial resolution, was a key innovation enabler in the drive for high-performance miniature electronics, which had an unprecedented impact on every aspect of our modern life. Geometrically well-defined microstructures could also be a game changer in the medical device industry, especially in the development of implantable devices with better tissue compatibility, as well as in the discovery of new drugs and treatments. Current gold standard materials and biomaterial extrusion processing cannot generate the structural resolution to kick-start this new era. The groundbreaking approach of POLINA is to combine a radically new, light-sensitive poly(amino acid) material platform with established and emerging photolithographic patterning techniques to deliver a revolutionary technology that can be exploited for medical devices and next-generation green electronics. Exploring this uncharted territory will be possible through an ambitious multidisciplinary approach delivering breakthroughs in photopolymerisation of amino acids and their lithographic structuring for novel materials with unique biological properties. The high innovation potential of this technology to overcome current limitations will be demonstrated in three selected examples related to lung diseases, i.e., micropatterned cell surface models, spheroid arrays for lung disease modelling and drug testing as well as tracheal implants. Our intersectoral team of 5 academic groups and 2 SMEs brings together unique scientific expertise in photo and polymer chemistry, biomaterials science, lithographic processing, tissue engineering, clinical expertise and innovation management. Through POLINA we will pave the way to revolutionise bioprinting, for safer, smarter and affordable medical devices and in the long term a new approach in (bio)electronics.

Innnovation Radar's analysis of this innovation is based on data collected on 07/02/2025.
The unique id of this innovation in the European Commission's IT systems is: 132344