Objective
Cancer is a major health problem worldwide, being the most common cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. The major goal of new anticancer therapies is to specifically kill tumour cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. A main challenge to achieve this aim is the development of better drugs, including novel treatments based on the use of siRNAs. These macromolecules are potentially the most powerful anti-cancer drugs that exist, but still there is no efficient way of getting them delivered specifically to the tumour. Indeed, lifetime of such molecules is generally too short and therefore need to be protected in a carrier until they are delivered into tumour target cells.
This project focuses in the development of nanocarriers based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), one of the most exciting developments in recent porous materials science. The study of the mechanisms that control drug delivery is of critical importance to nanomedicine applications, where nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionise cancer therapy. Given the challenging nature of the drug delivery problem for cancer therapy, this project builds on 4 interrelated main concepts: i) the design of bio-compatible MOFs for drug delivery applications; ii) the post-synthesis engineering of MOFs to enhance stability, controlled drug release, and targeting; iii) the identification of optimal textural properties (i.e. pore size distribution, surface area, pore volume) and surface chemistry of MOFs for siRNA delivery using experiments and molecular simulation techniques; iv) the assessment of their performance in vitro and in vivo, giving a translational dimension to the proposed research. The novelty of this work lies therefore in the synergistic combination of tools from different areas and disciplines (chemistry, biochemical engineering and medicine) to produce advances that are of both fundamental scientific interest and of bioengineering relevance in nanomedicine applications.
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 basic medicine neurology dementia alzheimer
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering gene therapy
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology nanomedicine
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine cardiology cardiovascular diseases
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology pancreatic cancer
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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-COG - Consolidator 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-2016-COG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
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.