Project description
A new treatment approach to deliver drugs more precisely
The challenge of precise drug delivery to the body is riddled with complexities. Inhalation of medication relies on transforming formulations into a mist spray. However, droplet coalescence often leads to erratic deposition, undermining treatment efficacy. In this context, the ERC-funded TriboCharge project tackles the challenge of precise drug deposition to the respiratory system. The project introduces a solution by charging droplets through friction with the nozzle material. This charge prevents coalescence, ensuring precise control over droplet size for targeted lung delivery. Promising applications include siRNA treatment for lung cancer and mRNA vaccination against COVID-19.
Objective
The main purpose of this proposal is to develop a radically new technology for very precisely delivering medicine to the human body. Targeted deposition of drug formulations to the lungs exhibits great promise in several treatments, e.g. siRNA treatment against lung cancer or mRNA vaccination against COVID-19. This requires oral and nasal inhalation for which spray pumps and nebulizers are widely used to transform an aqueous formulation into a soft mist spray. However producing the necessary drop size is hampered by droplet coalescence, making drops too large and polydisperse; because of this, they deposit in the wrong places. Large droplets between 10 and 50 micrometers deposit mostly in the upper respiratory tract (mouth, throat or nasal cavity) through ballistic impact on the mucosal tissue, whereas small droplets between 5 and 10 micrometers can be lifted by the airstreams and deposit mostly in
the lower respiratory tract (bronchi and lungs). Our innovation relies on the charging of drops through the friction with the nozzle material. The charged drops repel and do not coalesce, allowing precise control of their size to target e.g. the lungs. This allows to achieve safe and effective targeted deposition of drugs and /or vaccines with hitherto unequaled precision.
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 basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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-2023-POC
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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.
1012WX Amsterdam
Netherlands
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.