ERC Proof of Concept Grant for Pascal Jonkheijm
MESA+ researcher Pascal Jonkheijm has landed himself an ERC Proof of Concept Grant worth 150,000 euros. This grant is intended for researchers who are already in possession of an ERC grant to conduct market research. Jonkheijm will use the grant to research the marketability of a chip that enables you to print proteins (and even viruses) onto various surface types.
In 2010, Jonkheijm, a member of the research group Molecular Nanofabrication headed by Professor Jurriaan Huskens, was awarded an ERC Grant worth 1.5 million euros. He used this grant to create artificial cell membranes on microchips, which enables scientists to study how living cells communicate with each other. Jonkheijm has now received an additional grant of 150,000 euros to conduct market research for the product. The money will go towards determining whether there is market demand for a multi-print chip that allows you to print 25 proteins onto a variety of surface types. The chip can be reused 75 times. It can also be used for diagnostic purposes such as measuring a predisposition to obesity and the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The great advantage of this chip compared to the current technology used is that it requires far cheaper proteins.
In addition to diagnostic applications, Jonkheijm sees a whole range of other possibilities for the chip as a screening platform. For example, it can be used to examine how cells interact with different materials. If the market research is positive, the University of Twente researcher will develop the multi-print chip into a market-ready product.
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