Descrizione del progetto
Neurotossina per il trattamento dell’osteoartrite
L’osteoartrite è una patologia degenerativa associata alla rottura del collagene nella cartilagine delle articolazioni che ammortizza le ossa. È caratterizzata da un dolore debilitante che viene convenzionalmente gestito con farmaci antinfiammatori non steroidei e oppioidi. Tuttavia, questi interventi non sono sempre efficaci o provocano effetti collaterali, rendendo necessarie terapie alternative. Il progetto Arth-Alleve, finanziato dal CER, mira a rispondere a questa esigenza medica insoddisfatta attraverso lo sviluppo di una terapia non farmacologica. La strategia si basa sull’utilizzo di molecole di neurotossina per bloccare i nervi associati al dolore dell’osteoartrite. Queste molecole saranno ancorate a particelle di idrogel per impedirne la fuoriuscita dalla circolazione, fornendo solo un effetto localizzato e contribuendo a un notevole miglioramento della qualità di vita dei pazienti.
Obiettivo
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of chronic pain in older persons in Europe and is the leading cause of disability. The disease is a condition affecting the joint cartilage and subchondral bone and is frequently accompanied by pain, stiffness, and long-term disability. Chronic pain is the most prominent symptom in most people with OA, and is the most important determinant of disability in patients with osteoarthritis. Treatment guidelines for OA pain management uniformly recommends a range of pharmacological therapies, including paracetamol, NSAIDs and opioids, together with non-pharmacological therapies. However, such therapies are restricted by considerable side effects and limited efficacy, as well as country-specific restrictions on prescriptions (e.g. on opioid use). Given the risks and side effects associated with current therapies, the long-term outlook for OA patients is bleak. Currently there exists no non-pharm effective therapy for OA pain management. OA patients are left with two options: Manage the debilitating chronic pain using over-the-counter and/or prescription medication, with all of the risk and side effects associated with those therapies; or try to independently cope with the pain and all of the personal, economic and societal challenges that chronic pain presented. Within the ambitious Arth-alleve project, we propose to develop a non-pharma side-effect-free long-term therapy for OA patients, providing new hope to the growing cohort of European citizens affected by this debilitating disease. The Arth-Alleve project will explore the concept of attaching neurotoxin molecules to hydrogel particles, to enable the mechanism of nerve blocking to occur, with the hydrogel acting as a long-term anchor preventing migration of the molecule from the target site. This project will truly transform the treatment of chronic OA pain, and the Quality of Life of the large cohort of European patients suffering from the condition.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsIstituzione ospitante
H91 Galway
Irlanda