Project description
Noninvasive modulation of the blood–brain barrier using carbon nanoneedles
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain and provides a precisely regulated microenvironment. This defense barrier presents an obstacle to the therapeutic cargoes for the treatment of brain tumours and neurodegenerative diseases, but all known methods for BBB penetration are often dangerous for the patients. The EU-funded PiezoMagBBB project will introduce an innovative strategy to cross the BBB using piezomagnetic carbon nanoneedles (PMCNNs) and evaluate its potential as a brain drug delivery system. The PMCNNs are functionalised carbon nanotubes decorated with piezomagnetic nanoparticles, which convert ultrasound into electric pulses to permeate the BBB noninvasively. The objectives are to permeate the BBB model in vitro and assess the efficacy of PMCNNs in delivering therapeutics in 3D brain tumour spheroids and organoids.
Objective
Abstract
The Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) protects the brain from unwanted chemicals and provides a precisely regulated microenvironment to function normally. However, this defense barrier presents a challenge in shuttling therapeutic cargoes into the brain for the treatment of brain tumours and neurodegenerative diseases. To date, the known methods for BBB penetration poses inherent limitations which are often dangerous to the patients including the microbubble mediated ultrasound (US) driven BBB penetration. Herein we propose an innovative strategy to cross the BBB by introducing PiezoMagnetic Carbon Nanoneedles (PMCNNs) and evaluate its potential as an ideal brain drug delivery system (DDS). PMCNNs are made of functionalised carbon nanotubes (ƒ-CNT) decorated with PiezoMagnetic Nanoparticles. Due to the intrinsic piezoelectric property of PMCNNs, they convert short wave ultrasound (US) into electric pulses to electrically permeate the BBB noninvasively which is not possible by any of the known techniques so far. The main objectives of PiezoMagBBB are 1) to electrically permeate an in vitro BBB model with PMCNNs through nano-electroporation under short wave US and 2) to assess the efficacy of PMCNNs to deliver anticancer therapeutics in 3D tumour spheroids and brain tumour organoids. Thus PiezoMagBBB will design novel PMCNNs; assess their cytotoxicity in different brain cells; evaluate their BBB modulation under US and cellular uptake in BBB models; investigate their potential as a DDS for anticancer drugs in “in vivo tumour mimicking” glioblastoma spheroids and brain-tumour organoids. The fellow brings her extensive expertise in smart DDS design to the host lab, which in turn will offer world-class biological and nanotoxicological facilities and nanomedicine expertise. PiezoMagBBB also offers an industry secondment for high-throughput development of brain tumour organoids and a collaboration with an oncology consultant to enable validation of the model.
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 medical biotechnology nanomedicine
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
- natural sciences physical sciences acoustics ultrasound
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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.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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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.
B15 2TT Birmingham
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.