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Intelligent design of adenovirus vectors (iAds)

Project description

Adenovirus vectors for clinical gene transfer

Gene therapy is a highly promising approach for treating certain diseases. Viral vectors have been developed stripped of their ability to cause disease and are instead used to deliver genetic material into cells for therapeutic purposes. Adenoviruses are particularly attractive because they can efficiently deliver DNA into both dividing and non-dividing cells. Funded by the European Innovation Council, the iAds project aims to overcome the limitations of adenoviral vectors, such as host immune responses and imperfect targeting. The consortium will create an in-silico platform for the design of intelligent adenovirus vectors with a focus on heart- and brain-specific targeting, addressing areas of unmet medical need.

Objective

Advanced therapies, and in particular gene therapies, hold great potential for treating diseases for which few options exist. Efficient gene transfer is inherently and intransigently linked to vector efficacy. Partially due to the lack of suitable delivery systems for particular applications, the success of too many gene therapies is limited.

Over the last two decades, immense progress has been made in the development of viral vectors. Importantly, this progress has also identified vector characteristics and biological factors that decrease efficacy. While limited efficacy is relevant for all vector platforms, it is more pressing in the case of adenoviruses because they have so much potential. In some cases, host responses and imperfect targeting have stunted adenovirus vector development for therapies that require long-term transgene expression.

Our multi-faceted consortium proposes an innovative approach to overcome these limitations and to construct a pathway for developing improved vectors for clinical gene transfer. By synergising French, Dutch, British, Spanish and Swedish expertise in structural biology, receptor engagement, neurobiology, cardiobiology, and bioprocessing, we will create in silico designed intelligent adenovirus vectors (iAds). Our disruptive concept abandons the classical approach of developing vectors from naturally occurring adenoviruses. Instead, a proprietorial adenovirus type will be serially stripped of unwanted elements to create a bank of iAds, which will then be engineered for heart- and brain-specific targeting. Our consortium blends academic ingenuity and SME/pharma manufacturing that will allow seamless clinical translation. With the support of the EIC Programme, our ground-breaking approach should revolutionise gene transfer and generate solutions in areas of unmet medical need via a platform that exploits the full potential of viral vectors.

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC Grants

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDEROPEN-01

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Coordinator

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 1 214 366,25
Total cost

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.

€ 1 432 340,93

Participants (6)

Partners (1)

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