15-04-2019
FCT NOVA's research reinforces its alignment with the market with the latest spin off, Des Solutio, which aims to develop safe and environmentally friendly products. Des Solutio is the result of the commercial bet on the study that Professor Ana Rita Duarte and Doctor Alexandre Paiva have been developing on natural solvents.
This research has already attracted the interest of several large industrial groups, including a global beauty products giant, with over € 26 billion a year in sales, and a large pharmaceutical company.
Des Solutio is developing new applications to use Natural Eutectic Solvents (NADES) in cosmetics and / or nutraceuticals, such as replacing toxic organic solvents, such as ethanol, currently used. Solvents are commonly used in a wide range of industries to extract active ingredients from natural matrices, such as olive oil, peppermint or seaweed, to flavor and perfume their products, increase the stability and shelf-life of bioatives.
NADES offer many benefits over existing solvents. They are entirely derived from natural compounds such as organic acids, amino acids and sugars found in a wide range of plants and are not derived from petrochemicals. Obeying the philosophy of green chemistry, there is already a wide range of NADES identified, which can be combined to extract specific active ingredients. In addition, unlike conventional solvents, some of which are very toxic for use on the skin or in food, there is no need to recover an active ingredient from NADES.
Other advantages of the technology include an increase in the solubility, permeability and bioavailability of the active compounds, together with the fact that these solvents are biodegradable and allow for more environmentally friendly production processes.
Frontier IP, a specialist in commercialization of university intellectual property, acquired a 25% stake in Des Solutio.
In exchange for its participation, Frontier IP will provide Des Solutio with a broad range of marketing services, including contract negotiation and identification of potential industry partners to validate and expand the technology.
Des Solutio is another sign of the growing dynamics of FCT NOVA's partnership with Frontier IP. It is the second spin off of FCT NOVA in which Frontier IP bets, after the NTPE, a company that develops new technologies to print electronic circuits, sensors and semiconductors in paper.
