Telstar has developed the first biosafety cabinets for the handling and processing of nanoparticles, whose 100 per cent effectiveness has been verified in the experiments performed as part of the NanoSost project.

Telstar’s research and innovation department for life sciences, specialised in the development of biological systems protection and air flow control technologies, has shown that its containment technology applied to biosafety cabinets gives total protection to the operator when handling NaCl nanoparticles (sodium chloride) for biomedical and technological applications.

Experimentation with nanoparticles under the NanoSost project, performed in May 2010, took place in a clean room with CytoUltra equipment (Cytostatic type biosafety cabinet), at the facilities owned by the company and adapted to experiment with equipment for research centres and laboratories. The first published results of the NanoSost project show that the equipment developed by Telstar allows these types of nanomaterials to be worked with in total safety. Telstar’s innovation team continues its research into the development of new technologies to protect against other types of nanoparticles.

Telstar has taken part in the NanoSost project for nanotechnology research, specifically subproject 5, the aim of which is to establish scientific bases in risk control and create knowledge to improve protection from and control of risks derived from exposure to nanoparticles.

NanoSost is a singular, strategic project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and headed by IQS. Businesses, universities and research centres have collaborated for a year and a half on this project to establish the bases for sustainable, responsible and safe nanotechnology. This project relies on the active involvement of Spain’s main technology and research centres, like the Carlos III Health Institute, Leia CDT Foundation, AENOR, Toxicology Research Centre (CERETOX), Cidemco, International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) and the Networked Biomedical Research Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER BBN), among others.

Telstar develops high technology projects, equipment and services in the biotechnology, nanotechnology, traditional technology and medicine fields.