Project description
Innovative nanoparticles for drug delivery
To reach the target tissue/cell, pharmaceuticals have to cross various barriers. Nanoparticles offer an attractive drug delivery option with significant benefits due to their small size. Lipid-mediated vesicles have already been successfully used in mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and are usually functionalised with polyethylene glycol to enhance stability and prolong circulation time. To overcome PEGylation drawbacks, such as reduced cellular uptake and immune-mediated clearance, the ERC-funded NanoDeliveryEnhance project will explore an innovative alternative, where the liposomic drug-delivery vehicles are functionalized with poly-phosphocholinated chains rather than with PEG. Researchers will assess the effectiveness, efficiency and commercial potential of this novel solution, aiming to advance drug delivery and improve therapeutic outcomes.
Objective
Delivery to diseased cells or tissues of therapeutic agents attached or encapsulated in nanoparticles – nanomedicine - presents many benefits, and comprises a rapidly-growing multi-billion-euro market. Lipid-based drug-delivery nano-vehicles, where drugs (not least the recent, very-widely-used, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines) are encapsulated in lipid vesicles (liposomes) or lipid nanoparticles, form a substantial part of that market. Nearly all FDA-approved liposomic vehicles are functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol), PEG, moieties, the current gold-standard. These act both to sterically-stabilize the vesicles, and, importantly, increase their blood-retention time and thus their therapeutic efficiency. At the same time, such PEGylation has several drawbacks, including reduced cellular uptake, accumulation of PEG in tissues, and accelerated blood clearance on repeated intravenous dosage due to heightened immune response. We use novel functionalization approaches to overcome these drawbacks. The present project explores the innovation dimension of our new approach. In particular, is it effective? is it efficient? How widely applicable is it? What is the IPR position for future exploitation of this new strategy? These questions illustrate the high-risk/high-gain nature of this proposal, and are addressed here through several inter-related work packages. Success of our project in demonstrating that our novel approach is significantly superior to the current universally-used PEGylation would not only have a therapeutic advantage for many diseases, but also tap into a large and growing market.
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.
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology nanomedicine
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
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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)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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.
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-POC2
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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.
7610001 Rehovot
Israel
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.