Created by professors Joana Loureiro and Maria do Carmo Pereira, researchers at the Process, Environmental, Biotechnology and Energy Engineering Laboratory (LEPABE) of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), the startup BNanoTech has just been awarded the FEUP spin-off label.
The startup is developing a technology based on nanoparticles designed to transport drugs directly to the brain, which is particularly interesting for treating central nervous system disorders, as it allows drugs to be delivered to the affected brain regions, maximising therapeutic effects and minimising side effects.
According to Joana Loureiro, this technology is intended to be “a breakthrough in the treatment of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and brain cancers, where treatment options are limited by the inability to achieve efficient drug delivery to the brain”.
This is another important step for BNanoTech after being selected in February 2025 for investment from XTX Ventures worth 120,000 euros to accelerate this technology and confirm its disruptive potential.
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BNanoTech is now part of the group of companies with the FEUP spin-off label, made up of commercial companies created to commercially exploit products and/or services originating from research results, activities carried out at FEUP or in close collaboration with FEUP, where a close institutional relationship with the Faculty is necessary or convenient, as a way of enhancing the company’s services or products, or as a way of improving the teaching and research of the higher education institution.
This seal may also be applied to existing companies that, at the time of their incorporation, were not recognised as FEUP spin-offs but that, by their nature, fall within this type of company. In any case, awarding the seal begins with the company applying to FEUP.
The only type of FEUP spin-off company considered is the simple or non-participating spin-off – commercial companies in which FEUP does not hold any stake, even though they require the authorisation of FEUP’s Board of Directors to use the FEUP spin-off name.