Project description
Drug delivery with virus-inspired nanotech
Traditional drug delivery methods often struggle with precision and efficiency, leading to limited therapeutic impact and side effects. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are natural nanosized carriers between cells. They hold promise but face challenges in targeted loading and release. In this context, the ERC-funded VIA-EVICARE project is testing the feasibility of a virus-inspired, modular EV technology. By engineering self-assembling viral proteins and integrating them into EV production, the project aims to boost delivery precision, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Alongside technical validation, VIA-EVICARE is mapping the IP landscape and preparing a business strategy to bring this breakthrough platform closer to real-world treatments for a range of diseases.
Objective
The fundamental objective of the VIA-EVICARE ERC Proof of Concept project is to ascertain the technical and commercial feasibility of a ground-breaking technology to revolutionize the delivery of therapeutics via extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are naturally occurring nanosized vesicles that facilitate the transfer of biological cargo between cells and offer numerous benefits over conventional drug delivery systems. By leveraging a novel, virus-inspired mechanism, we aim for a modular design that combines a significant improvement of targeting, loading, and release of therapeutics that overcomes the limitations of existing strategies. By designing and synthesizing self-assembling viral proteins and recruiting EV biogenesis components, we aim to:
I. Validating the efficiency and specificity of EV-therapeutic loading, EV-generation, and EV uptake mechanisms upon introduction of different self-assembling proteins.
II. Optimizing the modular design for large-scale production, ensuring reproducibility and cost-effectiveness and validate our innovative VIA-EVICARE loading strategy by assessing biodistribution and functional delivery in vivo.
III. Conduct a comprehensive intellectual property (IP) landscape analysis to establish freedom-to-operate (FTO) and ensure that our technology can be commercialized without infringing on existing patents.
IV. Develop a robust and detailed business plan to effectively guide the commercialization of our loading technology, thus bringing a transformative solution to treating various 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.
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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-2024-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.
3584 CX Utrecht
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.