Research into new medical devices and diagnostic devices as levers for healthy ageing
The increase in life expectancy in developed countries, thanks to medical and technological advances, and changes in our lifestyles, poses significant social, economic, and scientific challenges. With an increasingly aging population, it is crucial for society to ensure that this increased longevity is accompanied by a good quality of life and personal autonomy. In the Basque Country, it is projected that by 2036, people over 65 will constitute almost 30% of the population, which has led the Basque Government to develop the Basque 2030 Strategy for the Demographic Challenge, with special emphasis on healthy aging. This strategy seeks to increase disability-free life expectancy by promoting the functional capacity of older adults, thereby improving the quality of life of this population segment.
In this context, the SENIOR project emerged, an acronym for “Research into new medical devices and diagnostic devices as levers for achieving healthy aging.” This is a collaborative project led by the Alava-based company AJL OPHTHALMIC S.A., with Basque biomedical companies such as HISTOCELL S.L., UNIKARE Bioscience S.L., FESIA Technology S.L., IMG Pharma Biotech S.L., MATZ-ERREKA S.Coop., COCOON Bioscience S.L., and CERTINALIA S.L. as partners. Furthermore, the SENIOR project collaborates with technology centers within the Basque Science and Technology Network, such as TECNALIA, CIDETEC, GAIKER, and LEARTIKER, which have joined forces to promote research and development in the field of healthcare.
The main objective of the SENIOR project is to make a technological leap forward in the care and treatment of the elderly population through research into biomarkers, prediction models, and biosensing for the detection and monitoring of pathologies, enabling the establishment and implementation of personalized treatments for key conditions. This will involve the development of diagnostic devices that allow for the early detection of warning signs associated with certain pathologies, as well as advanced, personalized medical devices for their treatment.
The SENIOR project consortium will promote the growth of the diagnostic device and medical device industry focused on three therapeutic areas: ophthalmology, mucocutaneous tissue, and neuromuscular diseases. These areas are experiencing high market demand, both in diagnosis and treatment, where the increasingly significant aging of the global population is considered one of the main critical factors for the growth of the healthcare industry.
To this end, the eight participating companies will have a global budget of €3.5 million. SENIOR will also have an implementation period extending until December 2026, in order to meet the ambitious objectives of the research project. The project has been funded by the Basque Government with €1.76 million under the Hazitek 2024 call for proposals, within the strategic projects line.
With a focus on scientific excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration, the SENIOR consortium aims to mark a milestone in the field of diagnosis and treatment of pathologies affecting the elderly, while also fostering a competitive network of Basque companies capable of developing proprietary technologies and providing added value to the biomedical sector.
