evFOUNDRY · Project

Turning Cow Milk Into Medical-Grade Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery and Diagnostics

healthPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

Every cell in your body releases tiny bubbles — smaller than bacteria — that carry messages to other cells. These natural nanoparticles, called extracellular vesicles, could become powerful tools for delivering drugs or detecting diseases early. The problem is nobody can produce them cleanly and at scale. This project built the first continuous-flow machine that extracts these bubbles from cow milk and parasite cultures, using specially engineered surfaces to sort them by size and type — like a molecular-scale sieve for biological cargo.

By the numbers

consortium partners across 6 countries

total project deliverables produced

demo deliverables including prototype and surface libraries

libraries of nanostructured surfaces for EV separation

industry partner in the consortium

17%

industry participation ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Current methods for producing extracellular vesicles — natural nanoparticles used in diagnostics, drug delivery, and therapeutics — are too impure, too slow, and too expensive for commercial-scale applications. This bottleneck blocks the entire EV industry from moving beyond early clinical trials into real products, whether in medicine, nutrition, or cosmetics.

The solution

What was built

The team built a lab-scale prototype for continuous production of quality-compliant extracellular vesicles, plus a proof-of-concept integrated modular system. They also created 3 libraries of engineered nanostructured surfaces that separate EV populations by size and membrane properties from bovine milk and parasite cultures.

Audience

Who needs this

Biopharma companies developing EV-based drug delivery or vaccine platformsDairy processors seeking high-value bioactive ingredients from milkCosmeceutical companies looking for natural nanoparticle delivery systemsDiagnostics companies working on multi-biomarker disease detectionVeterinary pharmaceutical companies exploring immune modulatory treatments

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Biopharmaceuticals

enterprise

Target: Drug delivery and biologics manufacturing companies

If you are a biopharma company struggling with inconsistent nanoparticle drug carriers — this project built a lab-scale prototype for continuous production of quality-compliant extracellular vesicles with immune modulatory properties. The integrated modular system separates vesicle populations that are homogeneous in size and membrane properties, addressing the purity and reproducibility problems that block clinical translation. With 5 demo deliverables including nanostructured surface libraries, the technology could replace batch-based EV production.

Dairy and Nutraceuticals

mid-size

Target: Dairy processors and functional food ingredient suppliers

If you are a dairy company looking to extract high-value ingredients from milk beyond protein and fat — this project demonstrated extraction of extracellular vesicles from bovine milk using microfluidic devices with engineered nanostructured surfaces. Milk-derived EVs carry bioactive proteins and RNAs with immune modulatory properties, opening a new product line in nutraceuticals. The continuous-flow design means integration into existing milk processing lines is technically feasible.

Cosmetics and Personal Care

any

Target: Cosmeceutical and active ingredient manufacturers

If you are a cosmetics company seeking bio-based active delivery systems — this project developed nanostructured surfaces that separate natural cell-derived nanoparticles by size and membrane properties from sustainable sources like bovine milk. These vesicles naturally carry bioactive cargo and could serve as next-generation delivery vehicles for cosmeceutical actives. The proof-of-concept integrated modular system was assembled and tested across a 6-country consortium.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this EV production technology?

Based on available project data, no licensing terms or cost figures are disclosed. The technology was developed under a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with 6 partners across 6 countries. Interested companies should contact the coordinator consortium in Italy to discuss licensing of the integrated modular system and nanostructured surface IP.

Can this scale beyond lab production?

The project delivered a large-scale production prototype and a proof-of-concept integrated modular system for continuous flow EV separation. These are lab-scale demonstrations designed to draw the baseline for future EV bioprocessing. Scaling to industrial volumes would require further engineering, but the continuous-flow design was chosen specifically to address yield, time, and cost limitations of current batch methods.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP is shared among 6 consortium partners across Italy, Denmark, Estonia, Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK, coordinated by Consorzio Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo dei Sistemi a Grande Interfase in Italy. The project generated 21 deliverables including 3 libraries of nanostructured surfaces, which likely carry patent potential. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the consortium.

What regulatory pathway would EV-based products need?

The project objective mentions that effective EV medical translation requires large clinical trials and regulatory initiatives. EV-based therapeutic agents and vaccines had produced results in early-phase clinical trials at the time of the project. Any commercial product — whether pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or cosmeceutical — would face sector-specific regulatory approval depending on the application.

How long before this reaches commercial products?

The project ran from 2018 to 2022 and delivered a lab-scale prototype. Based on the FET Open funding scheme (high-risk future technologies), this is still in the pre-commercial research phase. Realistic timeline to market would depend on follow-up development, clinical validation for medical applications, or faster paths through nutraceutical and cosmeceutical channels.

What makes this different from existing EV production methods?

The project objective states that current EV manufacturing methods are inadequate in terms of purity, reproducibility, yield, time, and cost. evFOUNDRY developed nanostructured surfaces integrated in microfluidic devices that separate EV populations homogeneous in size and membrane properties under continuous flow — a first for this field. The 3 libraries of engineered surfaces provide a catalog of separation options.

Consortium

Who built it

The evFOUNDRY consortium brings together 6 partners from 6 countries (Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, UK), heavily weighted toward research with 4 universities and 1 research organization. There is 1 industry partner (17% industry ratio) and zero SMEs, which signals this is firmly in the research-to-prototype stage rather than near-market development. The coordinator is Consorzio Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo dei Sistemi a Grande Interfase, an Italian inter-university consortium — a research coordination body, not a commercial entity. For a business considering this technology, the lack of manufacturing or pharma partners means commercialization would require bringing in production expertise and regulatory know-how from outside the current team.

CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO PERLO SVILUPPO DEI SISTEMI A GRANDE INTERFASECoordinator · IT
AARHUS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
LUNDS UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
HANSABIOMED LIFE SCIENCES OUparticipant · EE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTONparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHTparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

Consorzio Interuniversitario per lo Sviluppo dei Sistemi a Grande Interfase (Italy) — use SciTransfer matchmaking to get the right contact

Order a report on this consortium See CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO PERLO SVILUPPO DEI SISTEMI A GRANDE INTERFASE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the EV production prototype or nanostructured surface libraries? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner and help structure the conversation.

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