Objective
Mobility, important for well-being, is seriously impaired by chronic low back pain and osteoarthritis in many people due to degeneration of cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral disc and joint. To develop a treatment for these diseases this ETN aims to combine expertise in novel highly advanced drug delivery carriers with dedicated targeting tools, state of the art imaging techniques and expertise in stem cell and joint biology by training 15 young scientists in 12 partner institutes located in 5 different countries.
We aim to achieve regeneration of damaged and degenerated tissues by employing targeting strategies tailored both to the pathology and the tissues involved. Regeneration of diseased tissues will be achieved by loading biologically active agents in state-of-the-art nanocarriers. The biologically active agents will stimulate the body’s own capacity to regenerate by attracting local stem cells or inhibit degeneration. Targeting will be achieved by A] injection with synthetic or natural hydrogels loaded with the nanocarriers or B] coupling diseased tissue-specific antibodies and specific hyaluronic acid moieties to the nanocarriers. Delivery and retention will be monitored by advanced in vivo and molecular imaging techniques to monitor distribution of the delivered compounds at the tissue level, as well as detect biological markers of regeneration.
Major objectives:
1] To establish a network of scientists skilled in the use of smart nanocarriers, unique approach of targeting by disease-specific molecules and application of innovative imaging tools. Supported by generic scientific and training in economical and clinical valorisation, these researchers can further implement these technologies in the musculoskeletal or other areas, both in academia and industry.
2] To develop strategies exclusively targeting diseased tissues with controlled doses of bio-actives, circumventing the disadvantages of the current shotgun approaches in regenerative medicine.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental biotechnologybioremediationbioreactors
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologycells technologiesstem cells
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepathology
- engineering and technologymedical engineeringdiagnostic imagingmagnetic resonance imaging
- natural scienceschemical sciencesanalytical chemistrymass spectrometry
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN - European Training Networks
Coordinator
3015 GD Rotterdam
Netherlands
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Participants (10)
SW7 2AZ London
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2573 HT 'S-gravenhage
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
AB24 3FX Aberdeen
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32000 Haifa
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CF24 0DE Cardiff
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3584 CX Utrecht
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7270 Davos Platz
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8000 Aarhus C
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70400 Nes Ziona
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
6200 MD Maastricht
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Partners (2)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
1098 XG Amsterdam
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
1056 AB Amsterdam
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