Descrizione del progetto
Rivoluzionare i test diagnostici
Durante i processi di analisi e scoperta di nuovi agenti patogeni resistenti e malattie infettive, i test diagnostici sono fondamentali per giungere a conclusioni valide. Purtroppo, le attuali tecniche diagnostiche utilizzano la coltura o la PCR, che comportano gravi svantaggi e spesso presentano problemi nella caratterizzazione di nuovi agenti patogeni entro il limite di tre ore. Il progetto MARA, finanziato dall’UE, intende risolvere questo problema sviluppando e introducendo un’innovazione rivoluzionaria basata su tre nuove tecnologie, che dimostrerà anche la produzione di un kit di strumenti molecolari basati sul DNA per la caratterizzazione degli agenti patogeni. Per conseguire questo obiettivo i ricercatori del progetto faranno ricorso alla tecnologia di rilevamento autonomo di acidi nucleici (Autonomous Detection of Nucleic Acids, AUDENA), che non richiede attrezzature sofisticate, a una nuova scoperta nell’ambito del mimetismo delle proteine e della creazione di enzimi e, infine, a un robot molecolare in grado di individuare e distruggere le cellule.
Obiettivo
Diagnostic tests are essential to provide a targeted treatment of infectious diseases and to contain the further spread of multidrug resistant pathogens. Current methods are based either on cultivation or on PCR and have significant limitations concerning the clinical requirements to characterise pathogens including their resistance mechanisms within 3 hours. In MARA, we will develop and combine three radically novel technologies that will lead to substantial breakthroughs in science, medicine and industry and, as proof-of principle, use them to create a DNA-based molecular toolkit characterising pathogens.
First, the detection of pathogen-associated antigens will be performed by Autonomous Detection Nucleic Acids (AUDENA) that are independent of any laboratory instruments and sophisticated processing. The realisation of the AUDENA concept will lead to an autonomous, stable, simple and very economic novel sensor class applicable for any water-soluble substances. The second revolutionary technology in MARA employs a novel approach in protein mimicry and creation of artificial enzymes, which represents a breakthrough in several disciplines, such as biotechnology, biomedical manufacturing and the energy sector. The third breakthrough in this project represents the development of a Molecular Robot (MORO) that can specifically identify target cells and destroy them. In MARA, the MORO will be used for the lysis of bacterial cells to release intracellular antibiotic resistance associated antigens, but the long-term vision anticipates an application as antibiotic replacement for infectious diseases and a therapeutic agent for cancer treatment, which would represent one of the most important breakthroughs in medicine in the recent years.
To meet the highly ambitious objectives pointed out in this proposal, MARA is driven by a complementary, multidisciplinary team of leading experts, with a young, high-profile scientist in the lead.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNA
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseases
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistancemultidrug resistance
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug resistanceantibiotic resistance
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
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H2020-FETOPEN-2014-2015-RIA
Meccanismo di finanziamento
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinatore
1210 Wien
Austria