Ashland and University College Dublin host BIOREMIA Industrial Workshop to address the development of biofilm resistant materials for hard tissue implant applications

Wilmington, Del., March 22, 2023 - Ashland and University College Dublin (UCD) will host biofilm resistant materials for hard tissue implant applications (BIOREMIA) European Training Network’s second Industrial Workshop, ‘Commercialisation of Research Outcomes.’  The project’s industrial and academic partners will convene to review research progress by 15 Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) involved in an ambitious research and training program on March 27 through 31, 2023, in Dublin, Ireland.

 Hard tissue implant applications include joint replacements, orthopedic, and dental implants. Bacterial surface adhesion and the ensuing infection at the implant site is a known cause of implant failure that can result in significant complications and additional medical costs¹.

“Ashland’s participation in the European Training Network furthers our strategy to innovate in the markets we serve. We are partnering with UCD in BIOREMIA by developing custom solutions based on Ashland’s Viatel^™ bioresorbable polymer platform,” said Brandt Giffin, senior director strategic marketing and new business development, Life Sciences, Ashland. “The European Commission’s Horizon 2020 has established a valuable and forward-looking program for integrating academia with industry. We are honored to have received a grant to be part of the BIOREMIA consortium.”

 The ESRs in the BIOREMIA project are PhD candidates from universities and colleges all over the world. The consortium is made up of prominent academic institutions and well-known industrial organizations who act as partners to the ESRs and play an active role in any given project.

 “The European Commission’s European training network grants are very competitive programs,” said Thomas Dürig, senior research and development director, Life Sciences, Ashland. “It is difficult to be selected to participate. Ashland solver and ESR, David Zermeño Pérez is one of 15 ESRs received into the project from about 900 applicants.”

David Zermeño Pérez is a PhD candidate in Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences at University College Dublin and works full time at Ashland’s rapidly expanding Viatel^™  bioresorbable polymer manufacturing and research and development (R&D) site in Mullingar, Ireland. David has a strong background in bioresorbable polymer synthesis and applications for drug delivery systems that are also at the heart of Ashland’s growth strategy.

 “It’s exciting to help develop a novel material that may reduce complications for patients  undergoing hard  tissue implant procedures.” said Zermeño Pérez. “I am working towards important goals with outstanding solvers at Ashland.”

 BIOREMIA* is one of many four-year projects funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions. The European Training Network (ETN) consists of a multidisciplinary consortium of teams located in different countries that propose a common research project to serve as a vehicle for providing training and, where necessary, transfer-of-knowledge. It is primarily directed at the training of researchers with less than 4 years of research experience.

About Ashland

Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a global additives and specialty ingredients company with a conscious and proactive mindset for environment, social and governance (ESG). The company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and industrial markets, including architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage, nutraceuticals, personal care and pharmaceutical. Approximately 3,900 passionate, tenacious solvers – from renowned scientists and research chemists to talented engineers and plant operators – thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems for customers in more than 100 countries.

Visit ashland.com and ashland.com/ESG to learn more.

* This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 861046

• Masters, E.A., Trombetta, R.P., de Mesy Bentley, K.L. et al. Evolving concepts in bone infection: redefining “biofilm”, “acute vs. chronic osteomyelitis”, “the immune proteome” and “local antibiotic therapy”. Bone Res 7, 20 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41413-019-0061-z

^™ Trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries.

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