Nowadays best smartphone processors are putting to work over 10 billion transistors for users able to stream data and interact on various media platforms at unprecedented speeds. While nanofabrication technologies below 5 nm are facing critical challenges, the horizontal propagation of semiconductor devices in our daily life (smart homes, bio-medical sensors, transportation and communication, generically quoted as Internet of Things) is predicted to significantly increase in the near future and consequently open a vast business potential. A high diversity of low cost sensors and devices are to be designed and fabricated using micro- and nanotechnologies that need to be adapted to this new context. The aim of this project is to use state-of-the-art concepts on 3D plasma-aided nanofabrication as to design novel equipment and establish the needed processing steps for thin film deposition, etching and implantation on substrates/wafers above 200 mm in diameter, with special focus on metal oxide and nitride semiconductors. The project involves DTU Nanolab at Technical University of Denmark, Poyteknik A/S, a Danish industrial partner producing nanofabrication equipment, and PragmatIC, an UK company already active on low-cost semiconductor device fabrication.

Tuberculosis (TB) is diagnosed in ~10 million humans per year and the numbers are increasing. This poses a risk also to low incidence areas as Denmark. Current TB diagnostic tests require sputum samples which are difficult to produce for some. Also, sputum is unsuited for point-of-care (POC) testing important to enable treatment for all, and for controlling spreading TB with e.g. migration. In Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), primary diagnosis of TB is often done by sputum smear tests that have low sensitivity, or automated PCR, which also shows suboptimal sensitivity in many countries and is costly. Thus, WHO calls for cheaper and simpler tests using non-invasive specimens Therefore, SORTS develops a primary-diagnosis lateral flow test (“TB-SALF”) with improved sensitivity compared to smears, and (relative to PCR) a simpler, cheaper, and more sensitive confirmatory test (“TB-SAQT”). Both tests are based on easily obtained saliva specimen. TB-SALF and TB-SAQT comprise advancements of a research-laboratory TB test concept (“TB-SAXX”) that recently showed promise in a field trial in Guinea-Bissau. TB-SAXX exploits the activity of a TB-specific intracellular enzyme as biomarker, which entails major benefits in sensitivity and simplicity. The R&D to reach TB-SALF and TB-SAQT includes both experimental and industrial research in e.g., saliva as test matrix, experimental TB-infections, molecular biology on nucleotides, sample preparation, and lateral flow design

A high survival rate of both sows and piglets is crucial for a sustainable production of pigs. High mortality challenges the farmers’ economy, constitutes an animal welfare problem, and contributes to an increased environmental load from the production. SOS will develop and validate a solution for monitoring gestating sows on farm to ensure timely intervention in case of sow morbidity, so that sow welfare is increased, fewer sows die on farm, and piglet survival increases via improved sow health. The solution will be based on ear tags with accelerometers, temperature sensors, and means for localization. The project objectives are: To design a system with low cost of ownership and an attractive business case for both end-users and affiliated technology provider. To install the system in test and production stables to compile reference data. To develop algorithms for detection of symptoms of sow ailments and predicting poor sow health and heat stress. To develop an appropriate user interface. To test and validate the system at production sites representing the current common types of loose house sow gestation stables. The SOS system will transform piglet production and will be commercialized by BIOCV shortly after the project has ended. SOS will strengthen the Danish and global pig industry and enable a more sustainable production.

Classical drug development is based on proof-of-concept studies using immortalized cell lines and animal models. The use of these non-predictive models has led to high attrition in Phase 1 human clinical trials due to poor clinical safety, toxicity and inappropriate pharmacokinetics. Based on recent discoveries, human stem cell lines can now essentially be instructed to form any tissue type recapitulating 3D architecture and physiology. These predictive 3D models will be a game changer in drug development and significantly reduce the cost of on average USD 1.3 billion for bringing a drug to market. The technical challenges around 3D image-based screens have until now limited their implementation into drug discovery pipelines. Developments in high-content microscopy and image-based analysis are breaking down these barriers. In StemScreen we will establish the first Danish academic-industrial partnership around stem cell-based disease modeling and drug screening with strong international links. Our objective is to establish a network of experts and the infrastructure required to perform high-content phenotypic analyses of stem cell-based 3D models supporting drug discovery and commercialization. Specifically, we will within StemScreen identify lead compounds for at least 7 clinical conditions and advance the methods for stem cell-based 3D models. Collectively, this will push specialist training and bioinnovation in Denmark.