BIP PROOF Programme funds innovative i3S projects
Two of the eleven projects funded this year by the BIP PROOF programme, an initiative of U.Porto Inovação (University of Porto Innovation), are led by i3S researchers. Carla Cunha proposes a minimally invasive therapy aimed at revolutionising the treatment of disc herniation, and Bruno Sarmento presents a three-dimensional model to study inflammatory bowel diseases and to develop more effective, personalised therapies.
The programme aims to finance innovative projects developed within the University of Porto research ecosystem, supporting them to execute proofs of concept. In this 2025/2026 edition, eight projects in the Health area and three in the Energy area were selected, and each will receive ten thousand euros.
Physiological Therapy for Treating Disc Herniation
The DISCARE project is led by Carla Cunha and focuses on disc herniation, which is recognised as the primary cause of spinal surgery. As it is directly associated with significant morbidity, it has highly relevant socioeconomic consequences. Furthermore, the i3S researcher explains that current treatments “include conservative measures and invasive surgery, and no efficient therapies are available to date.” She adds that this project “addresses the existing limitations by offering a minimally invasive, physiological, and individualised therapy, with the goal of revolutionising disc herniation treatment and improving patients’ quality of life.”
According to Carla Cunha, the DISCARE project is “a clinically relevant immunomodulatory therapy that aims to boost the physiological mechanisms of the disc herniation’s spontaneous regression, which may result in a significant advancement in spinal treatment.”
The researcher emphasises that this BIP-PROOF funding “will allow us to develop and validate in vivo an immune cell delivery model that aims to boost the physiological mechanisms of spontaneous disc herniation regression. Our objective is also to move forward with executing a commercialisation plan, including market analysis.”
Studying and Developing New Therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
The project proposed by researcher Bruno Sarmento - INFLAMEGUT - aims to create an innovative three-dimensional model which combines cells and extracellular matrix to reproduce human intestinal inflammation. He explains that this platform “is intended to offer a more predictive, ethical, and economic alternative to traditional animal models and cell cultures. The model mimics the main layers of the intestine, as well as the inflammatory environment, allowing us to evaluate the inflammatory response and the integrity of the different layers of the intestine.”
By integrating different types of human cells and also organoids obtained from patient biopsies, INFLAMEGUT aspires “to become a reference tool in the study of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and in the development of more effective, personalised therapies.”
Bruno Sarmento says that BIP PROOF support “is fundamental for continuing the development of our 3D intestinal inflammation model, enabling its optimisation and validation as a pre-clinical platform for the screening of multiple drugs, as well as for making this model specific to each patient, through the integration of organoids obtained from patient tissues.” The i3S researcher adds that this funding “also makes it possible to create a prototype for demonstration to partners and investors, and to develop the intellectual property strategy, bringing the technology closer to the market.”
The main asset of our project, Bruno Sarmento stresses, “is the development of an innovative model that realistically reproduces human intestinal inflammation, allowing therapies to be tested in a more predictive and personalized manner.” In very concrete terms, he adds, “it represents a tool that can accelerate the development of new drugs and reduce dependence on animal models, whilst also paving the way for more effective treatments adapted to each patient, with potential application in various gastrointestinal diseases.”