(Adnkronos) – Producing functional materials directly in space, reducing to zero the dependence on terrestrial supplies thanks to an automated experimental system that exploits bacterial biocellulose in microgravity conditions. This is the core of 'GeneCell', the project ranked first in the Aerospace call of the Campania Region, presented in Naples on the occasion of the eleventh edition of Innovation Village, the main innovation network in Southern Italy, scheduled for today and tomorrow, Friday 29 May, in the setting of Villa Doria d'Angri, thanks to the collaboration of the University of Naples 'Parthenope'.
The key idea of the project aims to revolutionize the logistics of extra-atmospheric missions and extreme environments, enabling in-situ manifestation and manufacturing through a paradigm shift driven by the potential of bioprinting and remote monitoring managed directly from Earth.
Massimo Bracale of Innovation Village spoke about the revolutionary prospects of the technology: "This is a production technology that imitates nature, thus being the most efficient both from an energy and environmental impact point of view, precisely because it reproduces natural biological processes. In this sense, the project has great value for the aerospace sector: materials can be generated in space and used in orbit or in future space stations, without the need to transport them from Earth."
The presentation of the GeneCell project is part of the broader context of Innovation Village, which for two days transforms Campania into the protagonist hub of the national comparison between research, businesses, startups, and institutions.
The event opened with the inaugural event '80 years since women's suffrage. Another 130 for gender equality?'. As explained by Annamaria Capodanno, director of Innovation Village, this appointment closes a roadshow that has already stopped in Milan, Rimini, and Rome, with the aim of creating new partnerships and consolidating existing ones, connecting the world of research with businesses, startups, and young people who want to pursue an entrepreneurial career, supporting them with expert mentors to expand and extend the networking network.
Confirming the national scope of the event are the imposing numbers of this edition, which includes a dense program of 36 meetings and the presence of 241 speakers, representing 191 total subjects from the scientific and productive fabric of the country.
(Adnkronos – Lavoro)
