The NWO has awarded over 4.5 million euros to six projects through the Open Technology Programme, including the SUSTAINER project of Gijsje Koenderink (TU Delft, Bionanoscience). Apart from the NWO funding, companies and other organisations involved invest 1.3 million euros into the projects.

The Open Technology Programme of NWO funds excellent research that should lead to applicable knowledge. The programme offers companies and other organisations involved a low-threshold possibility of contributing to scientific research with a view to the possible application of the results.

The SUSTAINER project of Gijsje Koenderink aims for sustainable production of structural proteins for medical and nutritional applications. Biomaterials are materials engineered to interact with cells for medical or nutritional applications. Current biomaterials are mainly made from animal-derived proteins, limiting their customizability and raising environmental, health and cultural concerns. This project brings together synthetic biologists, materials scientists and companies active in food and biomedical technology with the aim to generate microbial cell factories based on yeast capable of the sustainable, low CO2-footprint production of natural and engineered structural proteins. We will use the proteins to engineer biomaterials enhanced with cell-instructive cues and test them as cell scaffolds for soft tissue repair and cell-based meat production.

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