Award for the +PecProteomics research group's project to use bioactive compounds and drugs using state-of-the-art nano-transporter molecules

A project to use bioactive compounds and drugs using next-generation nano-transporter molecules by researchers and professors from the UdL and IRBLleida, Aida Serra Maqueda and Xavier Gallart-Palau, is one of the winners of the Santander X Spain Awards│Projectes Emprenedors Universitaris 2025 programme at the University of Lleida (UdL). The winners have received €2,000 and the chance to participate in the state final, where additional prizes of €4,000 will be awarded.

Minudik®, by the heads of the +PecProteomics research group at IRBLleida, Aida Serra Maqueda and Xavier Gallart-Palau, is a technological platform of nanocarriers developed from extracellular vesicles (EVs) obtained from by-products of the food industry. These are structures that naturally release cells, in a microscopic size. In this case, they incorporate a specific molecular composition of lipids and proteins, protected by two European patents, and are used for applications in health, cosmetics and nutrition.

The technology transfer of this initiative will be carried out through the creation of two spin-offs: Ardea Biotech (pharmaceutical applications) and Irundĭt SL (cosmetics and nutrition), which the UdL Governing Council approved at its meeting on 26 June. The promoters claim that the nanocarriers have a high oral bioavailability, the capacity to cross biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier and the ability to be absorbed in the bloodstream.