The PROCRYSTAL Project, coordinated by the School of Engineering of UMinho, aims to train a new generation of researchers specialized in crystallization, a technology with the potential to make the production of biopharmaceuticals more efficient, sustainable and accessible.
Biopharmaceuticals – medicines whose active substance is of biological origin – are used in the treatment of oncological, chronic and rare diseases, distinguished by their high therapeutic specificity. However, their production currently faces significant challenges in terms of cost, efficiency and sustainability. The European PROCRYSTAL Project, funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, aims to address these limitations by training 15 PhDs in the field of crystallization, a technology with the potential to make separation and purification processes more environmentally friendly and scalable. In this way, it will be possible to improve access to medicines and their distribution worldwide.
The Centre for Biological Engineering (CEB) of the School of Engineering of UMinho takes over the coordination of PROCRYSTAL and plays a central role in the training of PhDs and in the development of experimental activities, hosting part of the research work and collaborating with industrial and technological partners.
This advanced training combines skills in biochemistry, chemical and process engineering, modelling and simulation, in an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral environment, involving academic and industrial partners from several countries. The aim is to prepare researchers capable of responding to the current challenges of the biopharmaceutical industry, increasing their employability and competitiveness at an international level.
Crystallization, widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the purification of molecules of chemical origin, still has a limited application in the biopharmaceutical area, where techniques such as chromatography predominate. However, these have high costs, low scalability and a significant environmental impact, and can represent up to 70% of the total costs of biopharmaceutical production.
Given this scenario, PROCRYSTAL aims to explore crystallization as a greener, simpler and more efficient alternative, capable of reducing energy consumption, production costs and dependence on expensive equipment and materials. In addition, crystalline formulations may offer greater stability to biopharmaceuticals, facilitating their storage and distribution, especially in contexts with limited resources.
Although the project is still at an early stage, with the 15 doctoral students already recruited, the ongoing work should contribute to the development of new approaches in the separation and purification of biomolecules, including proteins, peptides and monoclonal antibodies, as well as to their application on an industrial scale.
In addition to the scientific and technological impact, the research stands out for its contribution to sustainability and global health. By making biopharmaceutical production processes more efficient and economical, PROCRYSTAL will be able to increase access to medicines and improve their distribution, particularly in developing countries.
More information about this project here
