Project description
Personalised cancer treatment that hits the spot – and penetrates it
The exciting potential of therapeutic nanomaterials carrying drug cargo to targeted cancer cells in tumours and metastases has not been realised due to variability in nanomedicine accumulation in target tissues and poor penetration of target tissues once accumulated there. The European Research Council-funded PIcelles project will address this challenge with novel polymeric micelles. They can be easily and stably loaded with drugs. A peptide on their shell will promote targeting and penetration. Their radiolabelling will enable non-invasive imaging of target accumulation. The project will enable the team to optimise the pioneering platform and prepare for commercialisation, unleashing a new era in targeted drug delivery of anticancer agents.
Objective
PIcelles will assess the commercial viability of a novel theranostic nanoformulation for anticancer therapy. Current nanomedicine platforms are not able to boost response rates and survival times due to two main reasons: (1) the high variability in the accumulation of nanomedicines in tumors and metastases; and (2) the poor tissue penetration of nanomedicines in tumors and metastases. Based on results of the ERC project NeoNaNo, we are developing an imageable and penetration-promoting PIcelles platform, which is based on polymeric micelles, that will tackle these challenges by incorporating three key features in one formulation: (1) chelators for radiolabeling, to enable patient pre-selection via non-invasive imaging of target site accumulation; (2) a novel peptide on the micelles’ shell, to allow for active targeting to the microenvironment in tumors and metastases, and also for active pharmacological promotion of nanomedicine penetration; and (3) facile, efficient and stable drug loading, with clinically relevant anticancer agents.
In this project, we aim to generate technical and commercial proof-of-concept for our proprietary PIcelles platform technology, enabling us to enter into license deals with large pharmaceutical industries that are in need of novel breakthrough drug delivery technologies for their difficult-to-formulate anticancer agents.
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 pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology nanomedicine
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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-2018-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.
52074 Aachen
Germany
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.