Objective
In this project we aim to develop a new delivery platform for allergy vaccines with a high efficacy and a high safety profile combining membrane fusion-mediated delivery and microneedle-based dermal delivery.
Background: Within the ERC Starting Grant “Direct Drug Delivery”, I developed a method for the controlled fusion of liposomes with cells. A set of complementary peptide amphiphiles (coilK and coilE), able to form heterodimeric coiled coils, were shown to induce targeted and efficient fusion between two opposing membranes. More importantly, we have shown that this method of fusion can be applied to liposomes and to live cells. Since liposomes can be used as drug or vaccine carriers, this enables the direct delivery of these compounds into live cells.
The Problem: Allergen-specific immunotherapy for treating allergies such as asthma is currently performed via chronic subcutaneous administration of allergen extracts to patients. Unfortunately, it requires monthly injections for several years to achieve the desired long-lasting immunological tolerance. These vaccinations are typically performed by intramuscular or subcutaneous injections, causing pain and stress. Therefore there is a need for a new and more efficient administration platform to achieve shorter, safer and more patient-friendly protocols.
Our solution: Dermal delivery of vaccines offers a great potential, due to the large number of immune cells present in the skin. In order to increase the efficacy of current allergen-specific immunotherapy, it is our idea to use the membrane fusion heterodimeric coiled coil peptide pair to induce efficient cellular uptake and processing of a commercially used allergen (rBet v1) encapsulated in liposomes in order to increase its efficacy as an allergy vaccine.
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 clinical medicine pneumology asthma
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine allergology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology immunotherapy
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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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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - 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.
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant
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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-2014-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.
2311 EZ Leiden
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.