Project description
Mechano-responsive drug delivery
To enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs and minimise any potential side effects, there is a need for controlled drug delivery systems. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SMRT-DRUG-DLVR project proposes to exploit piezoelectric materials for drug delivery due to their ability to convert mechanical forces into electric potentials. Researchers will use iron-based nanofibres as drug delivery platforms. The properties of these materials are expected to reduce fabrication complexity and cost and generate a novel drug delivery system that responds to mechanical pressure. These nanofibres have the potential to find applications beyond biomedicine in wearable technologies.
Objective
The development of controlled drug delivery systems has been extensively investigated to improve the therapeutic efficacy of conventional drug products. The control over biodistribution and pharmacokinetics is critical to enhance the efficacy and minimizing the side effects of therapeutic agents. An on-demand drug delivery system for precise control over the release time and the quantity of drugs is needed which has not been studied comprehensively and remains to be explored. Piezoelectric materials provide a superior platform for the electrically controlled drug delivery system due to their ability in converting mechanical forces to electric potentials through the direct piezoelectric effect. The importance of this project is the contribution of the piezoelectric effect on drug loading and release. This project proposes the mechanoresponsiveness of piezoelectric electrospun nanocomposite fibers for drug delivery applications. The novelty of the project is adding two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric nanofillers to the composite to enhance piezoelectric efficiency which leads eliminating additional post-treatment processes (poling) reducing fabrication complexity and cost. The large surface area inherent to nanomaterials, fiber’s porosity, together with the transformative piezoelectric properties, allow electrospun fiber to be a drug delivery platform driven by the piezoelectric effect. The drug release quantity will be tuned by a mechanical stimulus in in-vitro conditions. This project will demonstrate the utility of piezoelectric nanocomposite electrospun fiber for mechano-responsive controlled drug release and its potential for in-vivo applications in a facile manner in the future.
Ten years of experience and knowledge in functional fibers that come to this project by the applicant will strengthen the KU Leuven lead in smart fibers based on piezoelectric materials for a wide range of applications not only in biomedical applications but also in wearable technology.
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.
- engineering and technology materials engineering fibers
- engineering and technology materials engineering composites
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmacokinetics
- engineering and technology materials engineering nanocomposites
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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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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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.
3000 Leuven
Belgium
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.