In Anglet, a Chair dedicated to biomaterials inspired by the ocean

The MANTA University Chair, led by Susana Fernandes, seeks to develop bio-inspired sustainable materials with low impacts on the marine environment and human health. This university chair launched on 12 October is based in the Montaury campus of the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour.

“This research chair launched in collaboration with private and public partners aims to recover and reuse marine resources by creating sustainable materials for applications in the cosmetic, biomedical and biocomposite fields,” explains Susana Fernandes, head of the MANTA Chair and research professor in polymer chemistry at UPPA.

The Chair’s five-year programme will include work with PhD students, three post-doctoral students and assistance from specialists from the Institute of Analytical Sciences and Physico-Chemistry for Environment and Materials (IPREM), a Joint CNRS / UPPA (UMR 5254) Research Unit, from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and from Uppsala University in Sweden.

Inspired by the Ocean

The MANTA (for MAriNemaTeriAls) Chair’s work will involve establishing “green” methods for extracting biomolecules (including biopolymers) from marine products and by-products and then developing bio-inspired materials with very low impacts on the marine environment, especially in terms of their degradation. “We will look to the ocean both for inspiration and for the basic materials for our work,” explains Susana Fernandes.

The Basque Country Urban Authority is a financial partner of the MANTA Chair. The Chair’s aims are in line with the Authority’s desire to develop a regional Centre of Excellence in Marine Biomimicry.
The Chair’s partners include: E2S-UPPA, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, the Laboratories of Biarritz, Winereef Lab and the CIDPMEM 64-40 through a DLAL project. This Chair embodies the expectations of fishermen from CIDPMEM 64-40, who through the DLAL are committed to a sustainable fishing and making the best use of exploited resources.

Learn more through this presentation (in English) of the MANTA Chair:e2s-uppa.eu/en/research/chairs-of-excellence/manta-marin-materials.html