Nanoplasmas

Company Profile

Nanoplasmas is a company founded in 2016 as a spin-out of the National Centre for Scientific Research NCSR Demokritos, Atiika, Greece (www.demokritos.gr). Nanoplasmas uses an innovative, patented, gaseous plasma-based technology to produce healthcare and diagnostic consumables with enhanced performance. The importance of developing more efficient consumables and devices as well as faster analysis methods is recognized worldwide, however in many cases the uptake of advanced technologies is limited.

To this direction, Nanoplasmas Private Company (PC) has proposed a nanotechnology (based on gaseous electrical discharges also called plasmas), which can be applied on the entire surface of a diagnostic (or selectively locally to specific areas via the use of stencil masks allowing local plasma-surface interaction only). The technology allows versatile 3D nanotexturing for the modification of polymeric or polymer coated surfaces (commonly used in diagnostics devices). The modification achieves control of their nanotopography, chemistry, adhesion and wettability, thus leading to new added-value products. The method is applicable to a wide range of polymers i.e. PMMA, PET, COP, COC, PEEK, PS, PE, PDMS.

Such surfaces exhibit several advantages i.e. high surface area, antifouling properties etc. and this can lead to (4) four different innovative products that can be classified in the diagnostics market segment. In particular, Nanoplasmas targets to commercialize the products listed below.

1. 3D substrates for biomolecule microarrays (protein, DNA)
2. High binding and/or antifouling substrates for cell culture
3. Substrates for selective enrichment of cancer cells
4. Biomolecule binding laboratories on chip (e.g. high capacity nanotextured microfluidics for bacteria capture, or highly efficient DNA purification microfluidics etc)

In conclusion, Nanoplasmas proposes a new concept for the 3D nanostructuring and simultaneous chemical modification of diagnostics consumables using a breakthrough technology presently at TRL 7.

Target Partners & Collaborations

We are open to any type of collaboration. In the last years, Nanoplasmas has extensively worked on the following four research subjects:

1. Optimization and benchmarking of nanotextured 3D substrates for biomolecule microarrays (protein, DNA)
2. Development of antifouling substrates for cell culture and especially spheroids.
3. Biomolecule binding labs on chip (e.g. high capacity nanotextured microfluidics for bacteria capture) for food safety applications.
4. Development of microfluidics for DNA purification from food samples and clinical samples.
5. Nanotextured surfaces for cancer cell enrichment.

Technologies / Services offered or sought

Technologies offered:

Surface topography and chemistry modification using plasma processing

Collaboration is sought in:

Development of surfaces or microfluidics for cancer cell enrichment.

Commercialization of existing protypes for bacteria capturing and DNA purification.