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12.08.2021 09:19
Germs in the water: Thomas Rachel hands over funding notification to INB
Pathogens are increasingly being detected in lakes, rivers and the sea. These germs can get into our food through fish farming. In order to get to the bottom of the causes and the consequences for the aquatic community and human health and to develop possible measures, the research initiative “Aquatic Pollutants” was launched. For this purpose, among other things, “ARENA”, in which the INB of the FH Aachen is involved, has now been created. The funds are made available nationally; the handover of the decision by the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Thomas Rachel, has now taken place.
Pathogens (pathogenic germs) are increasingly being detected in lakes, rivers and the sea. The causes can lie in climatic and demographic developments. Chemical compounds (anthropogenic trace substances) that get into the water – such as antibiotics via the sewer system – can cause the formation of resistance in microorganisms. Resistant bacteria are not sensitive to antibiotics. These germs probably also get into our food through fish farming and could thus not only affect the aquatic community but also have consequences for human health.
The interaction between anthropogenic micropollutants and pathogens in inland waters and in the sea, but also their influence on aquatic communities (e.g. fish farms) and ultimately the resulting effects on human health (e.g. through the consumption of fish) are now to be researched. The European research initiative “AquaticPollutants” was launched for this purpose. For this purpose, 18 international projects have now been selected, which are to investigate the topic through the thematic areas of measurement, evaluation and taking measures. This includes the “ARENA” project (Antibiotic REsisteNce and Pathogenic Signature in Marine and Freshwater Aquaculture Systems), in which the Institute for Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB) of the FH Aachen (Campus Jülich) is one of five partners. The funds are made available nationally; The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is fully funding the INB sub-project with 249,510 euros; the total project volume of ARENA amounts to 1,101,910 euros. A total of 20 million euros are available for the European research initiative “AquaticPollutants”.
The notification to the INB was now handed over by the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Thomas Rachel, on the Jülich campus. “The development of new sensors for the identification of pathogens by the FH Aachen is an important contribution to the protection of the marine environment and to the preservation of human health,” said State Secretary Rachel.
“There are still no satisfactory sensory approaches in aquaculture. Against this background, our project is a challenge, ”explains Prof. Dr. Michael J. Schöning, head of the INB. At the INB, sensors are to be developed that can detect pathogenic germs in water. Specifically, measurement samples are to be recorded on site from the affected body of water (sea, lake, etc.) with the sensor system to be developed. The actual sensor chip contains receptors that can recognize the pathogens. The receptors are being developed by the two Belgian project partners. If a pathogen is detected, a sensor signal is triggered and an alarm is activated accordingly. In addition to the INB, partners from Belgium, Spain, Italy and Norway are involved, who consider the problem from a molecular or microbiological point of view and develop appropriate molecular biological tools to detect antibiotic residues or antibiotic resistance genes. “It will be important to find a common level of understanding,” explains Prof. Schöning. The project partners will interact closely with each other during the three-year project period, but above all will also carry out joint experiments and measurement campaigns, e.g. in the Mediterranean (Spain, Italy) or in the North Sea (Belgium, Norway).
Prof. Ritz, designated Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer at the FH Aachen, emphasizes: “I am grateful that the policy of our FH Aachen believes that it can make a significant contribution to this future topic and trusts the efficiency of the university. But I also see clear evidence that the way of the INB to approach important future technologies and fields in an interdisciplinary way was and is correct and groundbreaking. “
“AquaticPollutans” is a joint research initiative of the three European Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) Water, Antimicrobial Resistance, Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans and deals with the risks to human health and the environment from pathogenic germs in water. A total of 184 project proposals were submitted. The projects to be funded were selected after they had been assessed by an international panel of experts. The ARENA project is supervised on the German side by the Jülich project management agency. The sub-project at INB starts on September 1, 2021 and has a project duration of three years.
About the INB:
On October 19, 2007, the Institute for Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB) was founded as the first interdisciplinary research institute at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences. Fourteen years later, the team around institute director Prof. Dr. Michael J. Schöning take stock of the situation with satisfaction. “We bring nanotechnology and biotechnology closer together, the key technologies of the 21st century,” as Prof. Schöning says. “A central pillar of our scientific activities is defined by ‘online’ analysis techniques for biotechnological and microbiological processes. The new research project is therefore exactly in our target focus. ”You can find more information on the INB here: www.fhac.de/inb
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