Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide. It is estimated that in 2010, 60.5 million people worldwide had some form of glaucoma and this figure will reach 79.6 million by 2020. Glaucoma is a group of ophthalmic diseases that lead to progressive damage of the optical nerve responsible for the transfer of information in the brain. Without some kind of intervention, most types of glaucoma are deteriorating.

If it is not treated immediately, the vision loss is irreversible and this has led to glaucoma being addressed as the "thief of vision". With the appropriate treatment, glaucoma can be cured. The reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) is associated with slowing down to a great extent the risk of the disease progression. The thickness and the mechanical properties of the cornea are the main parameters influencing the IOP measurement.

Nowadays, the majority of people with glaucoma will have to use eye drops to tackle the problem. The biggest hurdle arising from their continued use is that many patients do not comply with their treatment. In attempting to address the above problem, various drug delivery systems have been developed that have limited the incidence, but have failed to overcome significant limitations such as the delivery of hydrophobic drugs and their high cost.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop new and innovative systems with the following advantages: i) flexible and stable systems for their suitable placement in the corneal area according to their thickness and size; (ii) ideal properties (optical, surface, mechanical and biological) of the controlled drug delivery system in the area where the problem occurs; (iii) suitable intraocular pressure sensor systems located at various points of the cornea, which according to the eye movement (during drug administration), they will record the IOP at regular intervals.

In this context, the collaboration of Emmetropia with the two research organisations (FORTH and TEIC) envisages the development of innovative devices known as "Alternative Smart Ocular Patches with Controlled Ophthalmic Pharmacokinetics" to improve the treatment of glaucoma. Their main features are the use of biocompatible materials (graphene oxide and biodegradable polymers) with the appropriate biological, electrical and mechanical properties; the appropriate glaucoma drugs; the investigation of the controlled pharmacokinetic mechanism based on the use of ultrafast lasers for micro-nano patterning of the ocular devices; and the inter-relation of the intraocular pressure and controlled drug release rate by the ocular patch.

Brain function relies upon a complex, coordinated function of neurons, glial cells and blood vessels, which in neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease is disrupted. The EPIGRAPH project proposes the design and development of graphene biomolecular sensors, with graphene organic electronic ion pump (OEIP) neurotransmitter delivery, and electrophysiological electrodes integrated in an “all-in-one or single device/platform” for the prediction and control of epileptic seizures (towards a general intervention tool for most brain disorders). Specifically the main objectives are to: i) develop a graphene based biomolecular sensor for glucose and/or lactate detection using state-of-the-art laser processing techniques; ii) intervene pharmacologically to control brain activity via graphene-based OEIP electrophoretic drug delivery devices; iii) integrate the biomolecular sensor, the ion pump and the electrophysiological sensor into a single device that will enable combined electrophysiological and molecular measurements under in vitro/ex vivo (brain slice models) and in vivo environments (in situ animal model). The innovative function of this integrated single device is to provide treatment where and when it is needed. The “where” is provided by the local delivery made by the pump, and the “when” is provided by the molecular sensor if a predictive biomarker is found. EPIGRAPH will explore the potential of the device to provide local control of brain activity in vivo. A closed loop system will be developed that predicts and stops seizures in an animal model. Graphene provides an optimal foundation for this lab-on-a-chip as it provides flexibility, high-performance, bio-compatibility, etc. The addition of organic electronics provides a unique opportunity to add ion (and charged biomolecule) signalling to the bio-tech interface. In this project, we will address the current limitations in technology for interfacing with neural signalling using “organic neuroelectronics” – bioelectronic tools developed specifically for precise neurochemical interfacing – and provide more profound understanding of neural dynamics and better therapies for neurological disorders. The main challenge of such technology is to be able to generalize this device to a variety of brain disorders, to measure and intervene on brain function where and when it is necessary.

EPIGRAPH, a high-throughput medical device, will have a broad impact on different disciplines such as Neuroscience, Pharmaceutics, Bioelectronics, and Biomedical devices and also on the rapidly developing fields of biosensors, bioelectronics and GRMs. EPIGRAPH directly addresses the Flagship topic of Graphene-Applied Research and Innovation and in particular the specific area of 9. GRM based bioelectronics technologies. It is foreseen to fit with the scope of Work Packages 5 (on Biomedical Technologies) and WP6 (on Biosensors) of the Graphene Flagship Core Project.

NFFA-EUROPE sets out a platform to carry out comprehensive projects for multidisciplinary research at the nanoscale extending from synthesis to nanocharacterization to theory and numerical simulation.

Advanced infrastructures specialized on growth, nano-lithography, nano-characterization, theory and simulation and fine-analysis with Synchrotron, FEL and Neutron radiation sources are integrated in a multi-site combination to develop frontier research on methods for reproducible nanoscience research and to enable European and international researchers from diverse disciplines to carry out advanced proposals impacting science and innovation.

NFFA-EUROPE enables coordinated access to infrastructures on different aspects of nanoscience research that is not currently available at single specialized ones and without duplicating their specific scopes.

Approved user projects have access to the best suited instruments and support competences for performing the research, including access to analytical large scale facilities, theory and simulation and high-performance computing facilities.

The users access includes several “installations” and is coordinated through a single entry point portal that activates an advanced user-infrastructure dialogue to build up a personalized access programme with an increasing return on science and innovation production.

The own research activity of NFFA-EUROPE addresses key bottlenecks of nanoscience research: nanostructure traceability, protocol reproducibility, in-operando nano-manipulation and analysis, open data.

NFFA-EUROPE integrates 19 Partners, half of which are nano-foundries that are co-located with Analytical Large Scale facilities.