Description of the research project: - 1.-The idea of the project and where it sits within the state-of-the-art
The poultry production in Cataluña, Aragón, Navarra and La Rioja is 35 % of the total one in Spain and it a strong impact in the economy of the Campus Iberus area. Innovative nanotechnological applications have emerged as very useful candidates to develop and transform the agrifood sector, increasing global food production, its nutritional value, quality and safety. The project aims to enhance the microbiological safety (fight again antimicrobial resistance, AMR), assess the adoption of nanoenabled desinfectants and develop new biocides. The project is located on the forefront of the new applications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in the agri-food sector and its implementation will promote important technological advances, economical and social benefits
- 2.- The objectives of the project, as well as the progress beyond the state of the art
The general objective is to substitute or reduce considerably the use of antibiotics in poultry farms through bactericidal nanomaterials, validating the effect of nanomaterials based on silver, zinc, or others, including mixtures with natural products with bactericidal activity against the most frequent bacteria species like Salmonella , Campylobacter, Clostridium, Coccidium and Mycoplasma. The project will also verify the effectiveness of different nanomaterials against the most common infections in chicken production, and will tackle the biosecurity of nanoparticles and environmental safety, contributing in an outstanding way to new treatment methodologies to avoid antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
If the project is selected, the Doctoral Thesis supported by the Iberus Talent Program will be centered on the objective cited above., and he will be able to do work and research stays at the University of Lleida (Chemistry Department), at the IPREM-CNRS in Pau (France) as well as in the companies Enosan Laboratories and Abac Therapeutics The microbiological work will be supervised by Dra. P. Goñi from de Microbiology Department and the “in vivo” assays by the Dr M.Fondevila from the Department of Animal Production, both from the University of Zaragoza
The applicant research group (NANOBACT Iberus) will also develop -by other means and in a parallel way- the investigation and optimization of innovative processes to improve the quality of feeding water in poultry farm and to develop and apply new sustainable techniques for the treatment of wastewater products of aviar slaughterhouses, generating new efficient and economically affordable decontamination technologies
- 3.The linkage of the research project with the suitable Action Plan of Campus Iberus, as well as with any other activity implemented by the Campus of Excellence.
The project is focused on the Iberus Action Plan "Agro-Food and Nutrition" and the innovation trends identified in section 3: Nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, extraction technologies, mass screening, bioinformatics.
It will also help to keep a high level of water quality (reducing pollution) and to reuse water from the production processes of the agri-food industry of the aviar sector.
The Iberus Action Plan "Agro-Food and Nutrition" also proposes as Action 1: the search for alternatives in the production of food in order to reduce its allergenicity (gluten-free, lactose-free, without additives) and with fewer chemical contaminants and waste (reduction of use of zoosanitaries, phytosanitaries, etc.). The project, by aiming to reduce the use of antibiotics, fully responds to this action.
Finally, the Pyrenean Strategy document 2018-2024 of the Pyrenees Working Community (CTP) also points in this same direction. The project is fully integrated into the actions described in the report of the creation of the Iberus NANOBACT Action Group approved in December 2017 by the Campus Iberus
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Supervisor short biography: Professor Emeritus of Analytical Chemistry Dept of the University of Zaragoza Scientific activity: - 6 uninterrupted and consecutive Research Sexenios (1978 -2013)
- 44 Doctoral Theses supervised
- 120 Final Degree Thesis Projects supervised
- 350 Publications with impact factor WOS of the
- that 203 are in journals of the 1st WOS quartile
- 600 communications to Congresses
- 4.950 Total citations; Index h: 36
- Research stays: U. of Southampton (UK) 1979, Plymouth (UK) 1998, Cincinnati 2001-2002 and Berkeley (USA) 2004-2005
- IP of 24 National Plan projects (BQU-CICYT, CTQ), 9
- regional projects and 3 European projects
- 9 Teaching Quinquenials 1972-2017
Charges: - Director of the Consolidated Research Group in Analytical Spectroscopy and Sensors. Government of Aragón (E44) (1983-2018) and now member of the Reference Group E-29
- Evaluator of ANEP, EU, Foncyt, Austrian Agency and several Spanish regional agencies
- Rector in functions of the UZ (1992)
- Vice Chancellor of Investigation in functions of the UZ (1993)
- Member of the Governing Council of the UZ 1986- 2004, 2006-2008 and 2010-2013
- Member of the Social Council of the UZ 1986-1991
- Director of the Dept. of Analytical Chemistry of the UZ (1985-1991) (1993-97) (2000-2004)
- Professor Emeritus of Analytical Chemistry Dept of the University of Zaragoza 1985-1991) (1993-97) (2000-2004)
- Promoter and first Director of the Research Institute of Environmental Sciences of Aragón - UZ (2008-2016)
- Coordinator of the Interuniversity Master in Environmental Nanotechnology. UZ, UdL, UPNA (2014- 2016)
- Professor Emeritus of the University of Zaragoza since 10/1/2016
- IP of the NANOBACT Action Group of the Campus Iberus of International Excellence
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