An Italian company, Sea Marconi, together with University of Turin have synthesized and patented a type of macromolecules, nanosponges, starting from natural oligosaccharides, cyclodextrins. These compounds can be exploited in several applications thanks to their unique and peculiar structure enabling the inclusion of several substances, that can be either strongly retained or released in a controlled way.
So far, the studies that yielded the most appealing results belong to the fields of drug treatment and enzymatic catalysis.To accomplish studies on these topics, collaborations with other academic bodies have started (hospitals; Universities locally and abroad;).Nanospunges won the prestigious award for Technology of the month in Germany/rd Established the non toxicity of these macromolecules, the efficacy of some pharmaceuticals adsorbed in the nanosponges has been tested and compared to commercial products. The outcome has been astounding. Some principles showed an activity 3 to 4 times higher and exhibited no detrimental side effects.
The core business of this Italian company is the development of solutions, products and services for Energy and Environment. Nanospunges won the prestigious award for Technology of the month in Germany/rd The company is firmly convinced of the potentiality of the product described above and is looking for partners interested in supporting the development of nanosponge-based commercial products, shifting from lab-scale to technical/industrial scale, and/or exploiting the developed products. (Published on “innovation news”, june 2007)
