Objective The goal of this CRAFT consortium is the generation of a prototype of a new generation of drugs, which are based on the combination of established technologies in the field of protein engineering, DNA-targeting and drug delivery. The combination of the diverse fields of technology is very innovative and a reachable task. As prototype we aim for a double targeted therapeutic compound which is a carcinoma cell specific delivered and carcinoma gene specific in his DNA-methyltransferase activity which can switch the expression of a tumour-associated gene involved in carcinogenesis expressed in 40% of all human tumours, from on to off. Cancer is the second cause of death in the Western world and continues to emerge at an accelerated rate in the developing countries as well. Although progress has been made in the therapy of some types of cancer, the overall survival prognosis with current standard therapy is poor. Therefore, new treatment strategies are needed. The approach we propose here is based on the selective silencing of the epithelial glycoprotein-2 (EGP-2) gene, which is abundantly expressed in a variety of carcinomas, counting for 40% of all cancers. The goal of the proposed method is to selectively silence the EGP-2 gene by targeted methylation of the EGP-2 promoter. The therapeutic compounds we wish to develop consist of a targeted DNA methyltransferase and a targeted delivery system, based on synthetic amphiphiles, specific for EGP-2 positive cells. The targeted DNA-methyltransferase is a covalent complex of a triplex forming oligonucleotide (TFO) and the CpG-specific DNA methyltransferase M.SssI. This TFO-M.SssI conjugate has the potential to methylate a unique CpG site in a genome. Because of the high targeting specificity of the envisaged product, the proposed approach is expected to be free of many negative side effects, and thus can lead to a more effective treatment of a broad-range of cancers. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNAmedical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsgenomesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsepigenetics Programme(s) FP6-SME - Horizontal research activities involving SMEs: Specific activities covering wider field of research under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006. Topic(s) SME-1 - Co-operative Research (all areas of science and technology) Call for proposal FP6-2003-SME-1 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator SYNVOLUX THERAPEUTICS BV EU contribution No data Address L.J. Zielstraweg 1 GRONINGEN Netherlands See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Participants (5) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all EPIGENOMICS AG Germany EU contribution No data Address Kastanienallee 24 BERLIN See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data MAGYAR TUDOMANYOS AKADEMIA SZEGEDI BIOLOGIAI KOZPONTJA Hungary EU contribution No data Address Temesvari krt. 62 SZEGED See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data PRIMM SRL Italy EU contribution No data Address VIA OLGETTINA 58 MILANO See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN Germany EU contribution No data Address Templergraben 55 AACHEN See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN Netherlands EU contribution No data Address Broerstraat 5 GRONINGEN See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data