Objective
Cationic lipids (CL) are the most promising candidates for efficient and safe gene-delivery vectors for gene therapy. Compared with viral capsids, CLs do not induce a response from the immune system. Moreover, while viral capsids have a maximum DNA-carrying capacity of about 40 kbp, CLs, which form self-assemblies with distinct lamellar LαC and inverted hexagonal HIIC, or HIC nanostructures when complexed with DNA, place no limit on the size of the DNA.
Despite all these promises, transfection efficiency (TE; a measure of the expression of an exogenous gene that is transferred into cells) remains low, and only a substantial increase in the knowledge of relative interactions between CLs, DNA and cell’s components can lead to the design of optimal CL-DNA complexes for gene therapy.
Here we propose to design and study novel surface-functionalised PEG-CL-DNA complexes with a RGD and SV 40 peptide sequences. The use of PEG is required to avoid opsin complexation (hence, removal from the organism), while the RGD sequence is expected to induce endocytosis, allowing entrance of the complexes into cells. The SV 40 (a nuclear localisation sequence – NLS) is expected to lead to transport of the smaller sized complexes into the nucleus, permitting the usage of CLs as vectors in slowly or non-dividing cells.
To test these hypotheses, transfection studies and confocal microscopy will be carried out in cells, whereas the structures and interactions of the complexes will be characterised with synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The interactions between CLs, DNA and cell components (mainly cytoskeleton filaments and cytoskeletal proteins) will be studied in-vitro with synchrotron x-ray diffraction, confocal microscopy and cryo-transmission electron microscopy.
The whole of these studies will permit the rationalisation of the crucial parameters affecting TE, based on the structures of CL-DNA complexes and their interactions with the cytoskeleton.
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 genetics DNA
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy electron microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy confocal microscopy
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry aliphatic compounds
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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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.
Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IOF
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Funding Scheme
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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.
Coordinator
22100 LUND
Sweden
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.