Project description
A standardised treatment solution for childhood interstitial lung disease
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapies are successful in treating adult patients, yet they remain unapproved for paediatric use. This gap is particularly evident in childhood interstitial lung disease (ChILD), where preclinical studies suggest MSC therapy’s potential but face hurdles like cost, standardisation, and scalability. In this context, the ERC-funded NICHILD project has emerged with a mission to standardise and automate MSC secretome production for paediatric ChILD treatment. Drawing on advancements in isolation techniques, micro scaffolds, and bioreactors, the project aims to provide a reliable, scalable, and standardised solution for ChILD therapy. Specifically, it will develop comprehensive validation of production processes, establish standard operating procedures that are compliant with manufacturing practices, and implement rigorous quality control measures.
Objective
Despite their astonishing clinical success on adults, there are still no mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based products approved for paediatric use. Preclinical studies support a potential beneficial role of MSC therapy to prevent progression in diseases called childhood interstitial lung disease (ChILD). However, MSCs still suffer from the cost of culturing and storage facilities and a lack of standardization of cell populations, their quality and quantity, donor-related factors, protocols for isolation, in vitro expansion cell delivery and dosing. Our goal is to standardize and automatize the production of MSC secretome and validate it for its translation to paediatric use to treat ChILD. We will explore the feasibility of a secretome factory based on (1) isolation of MSCs from donor bone marrow, (2) expansion of MSCs in a micro scaffold called nichoid and (3) long-term culture of MSC for secretome production in an optically monitored bioreactor called MOAB-nichoid.
To achieve these goals, in this PoC we will validate the main key performance indicators of the production process and prepare a go-to-market strategy for the secretome biodrug. Our outcomes will be 1) a MOAB-nichoid production line, with total costs compatible with its industrial production and marketing by a pharmaceutical company; 2) standard operating procedures (SOP) for the production process in full compliance with the GMPs in the sector of cell and tissue therapy products (PTC); 3) secretome quality parameters obtained through a comprehensive characterization; and 4) demonstration in vitro of the safety and therapeutic efficacy in the pathologies studied. The outcome of this project will provide a national and international reference point for the industrial production of MSC secretome to treat ChILD and then extending this approach to other pathologies, also affecting adult patients, including chronic intestinal disease and osteoarticular diseases.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental biotechnology bioremediation bioreactors
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-POC1
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
20133 Milano
Italy
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