Project description
Efficient transdifferentiation for optimal cardiac fibrosis therapies
Transdifferentiating cardiac fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells could overcome the limitations of traditional cardiac fibrosis therapies, which primarily manage symptoms rather than halting disease progression. However, current approaches face low transfection efficiency, uncontrolled gene expression and immune responses to viral vectors. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Multi-R-NPs project will enhance drug delivery by developing multi-silencing polymerised RNA nanoparticles (Multi-R-NPs) for personalised treatments. Using rolling circle transcription, the project will create Multi-R-NPs that facilitate unique combination therapies with multiple nucleic acid therapeutics. Microneedles will enable localised delivery, minimising side effects and overcoming barriers to cardiac treatment. This combined approach will promote optimal cardiac repair through efficient transdifferentiation.
Objective
My research aims to advance drug delivery by developing multi-silencing polymerized RNA nanoparticles (Multi-R-NPs) for customized treatments across a wide range of diseases, using engineered microneedles to enhance efficacy. This versatile platform can be adapted for applications such as stem cell differentiation and biosensing, with immediate potential to treat fibrotic diseases like cardiac and pulmonary fibrosis, reducing preventable mortality and improving patient quality of life. Therapeutic transdifferentiation of cardiac fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells could address the limitations of conventional cardiac fibrosis therapies, which typically only manage symptoms and do not prevent the progression of the disease. However, current transdifferentiation strategies face challenges such as low transfection efficiency, uncontrolled gene expressions, and immune responses to viral vectors. This proposal aims to develop multi-silencing polymerized RNA nanoparticles (Multi-R-NPs) through rolling circle transcription (RCT) to enable unique combination therapies that synergize multiple nucleic acid therapeutics. Moreover, to minimize the side effects of untargeted delivery and overcome barriers to cardiac delivery, we will use microneedles to enable local Multi-R-NP transfection. I anticipate that combining two state-of-the-art technologies, RCT and microneedles, will enable the delivery of synergistic nucleic acid therapeutics and promote more optimal cardiac repair through efficient transdifferentiation. During my fellowship at the University of Oxford in Professor Dame Molly Stevens’ lab, I will apply precise control polymerization of therapeutic RNAs and formulate multi-layered polyplex structures. The strong collaborative networks with the British Heart Foundation Centre for Research Excellence and the co-supervision of Prof. Stevens and Prof. Riley will bring out the full translational potential of this project.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules nucleic acids
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
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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-2024-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.
OX1 2JD Oxford
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.