Objective
This reintegration project will give to the applicant the opportunity to use the additional insights and expertise that he has gained during his previous MC-IEF to build on his experience for an independent academic career. The aim of this project is to investigate the structure - activity relationship (SAR) of synthesized peptides that selectively blocks the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and the innovation of potential pharmaceutical important agents. Nicotinic Acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are included into one of the most important therapeutic targets for various diseases, including myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, schizophrenia, as well as for the cessation of smoking. Thus, the PeToxSAR group will use synthetic peptide-toxins as probes in order to investigate the structure-activity relationships of peptides against nAChRs aiming to address important questions in the field of neurobiology.
The focus of this project will be on achieving the following ambitious scientific objectives: Design, synthesis development and biological investigation of several series of rich disulfide bond peptide-toxins analogues that present high selectivity against nAChRs. Application of computational methods for the synthesized peptide-toxins against produced models of nAChRs subtypes. Biological studies of the synthesized peptides against several nAChRs subtypes. NMR conformational analysis of the most important synthesized peptide.
The approach that will be used in this ERG project will further advance the researcher scientific capabilities and enable him to acquire new broader knowledge in the peptide science field. The partners of the PeToxSAR believes that the above experiments and the obtained data will provide details in atomic level for the structure activity relationships of these biological systems and these data will comprise the stage in order to design and synthesize potential pharmaceutical important peptides against nAChRs.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesneurobiology
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugs
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomolecules
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputational science
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinepsychiatryschizophrenia
Keywords
Call for proposal
FP7-PEOPLE-ERG-2008
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
MC-ERG - European Re-integration Grants (ERG)Coordinator
265 04 Rio Patras
Greece