Project description
Plant proteins for drug delivery
Proteins can be engineered to serve as effective drug delivery vehicles as they offer several advantages including biocompatibility, reduced toxicity and targeted specificity. The EU-funded PRONACORE project proposes to generate drug delivery systems from plant proteins considering their low immunogenicity compared to plasma-derived proteins. The work focuses on the development of nanocarriers coated with the protein pectin from sugar beets. The generated nanocarriers will be assessed for parenteral delivery and investigated in terms of self-assembly and immunogenicity. Project findings have the potential to lead to sustainable materials for the pharmaceutical industry and beyond.
Objective
Cancer is a leading cause of death in the EU and worldwide. Chemotherapy has high risks and severe side effects due to the poor bioavailability of anticancer drugs. The inefficiency of current formulation vehicles necessitates better carrier systems. Proteins, as non-toxic, biodegradable natural polymers capable of self-assembly, seem especially promising as nanocarriers to encapsulate anticancer agents. Plasma-derived protein excipients are expensive and increase the risk of infection. The use of plant proteins, however, is limited by their immunogenicity.
The main ambition of PRONACORE is to develop new, safe and sustainable, glycan-coated protein(oid) nanocarriers with reduced immunogenicity for the oral, subcutaneous, and intravenous delivery of poorly soluble anticancer agents. By a top-down approach, core-shell type corn protein hydrolysate-pectin nanocarriers will be developed, demonstrating also a high-value route for the valorisation of sugar beet pectin. In parallel, we apply a bottom-up approach to design and synthesize glycosylated proteinoid nanocarriers, tailored to the cargo compound by the careful selection of building blocks assisted by molecular dynamics tools. IP protection will be sought for the methods invented. The feasibility of the developed nanocarriers for parenteral delivery will be determined. Our study on self-assembly and the factors determining the immunogenicity of protein(oid) nanocarriers will be made widely available to the scientific community, end-users, and the public.
The concept builds on Researcher’s previous experience, incorporates new elements, and creates the opportunity to initiate further research and innovation. He intends to remain active in this field beyond the scope of the MSCA fellowship to set up his own research group at the host, securing funding from national and EU grants and building a consortium for the development of sustainable soft materials for food, cosmetics, pharma-, and nutraceutical applications.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
HORIZON.4.1.5 - Fostering brain circulation of researchers and excellence initiatives
See all projects funded under this programme
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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) HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-TALENTS-04
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
1117 BUDAPEST
Hungary
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.