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H2020Staff exchange2021–2026

SUPRO-GEN · Supramolecular Polyamine Gene Vectors for Cancer Therapy

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2021-09-01 → 2026-02-28
EU contribution
€989,000
Participants
10
Scheme
MSCA-RISE

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Supramolecular Polyamine Gene Vectors for Cancer Therapy

Gene therapy represents a promising therapeutic approach to treat various conditions, including cancer. Oftentimes, they utilize viral vectors to deliver nucleic acid cargo into target cells for gene silencing or editing profiting from the capacity of the virus to integrate in the host genome. However, inherent safety risks and limitations of viral vectors present barriers to further development and medical translation. To address this challenge, the SUPRO-GEN consortium aims to develop non-viral vectors based on positively charged polymers and lipids capable of electrostatically loading complex nucleic acids and targeted delivery to cancerous cells. To bring this technology to broad use and improve existing and future treatments, SUPRO-GEN researchers will extensively characterize and optimize engineered polyamine-lipid vectors for preclinical validation. These developments will further the targeting, potency, and efficacy capacities of cancer therapeutics.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Gene therapy, most commonly using viral vectors, can be applied to inhibit or edit the expression of any gene of interest, being highly specific. However, there is an urgent need to find non-viral vectors with low toxicity and high transfection and targeting efficacies. The SUPRO-GEN project aims to design supramolecular vectors for gene delivery for applications in immunotherapy and cancer stem cell therapy. Peptide and glyco engineering of the vectors will result in high tumor targeting efficacy. Transfection and therapeutic efficacy will be tested in vitro and in vivo. Cell trafficking and biological fate of vectors will be studied by advanced imaging techniques.SUPRO-GEN is a concerted action based on multidisciplinary expertise in materials science, chemistry, genetic engineering, cancer biology, cancer therapy, and imaging. The project will bring together a talented consortium of academic groups and a high-tech SME from Spain, Italy, Israel, the United States, South Africa, Argentina and Thailand.Early Stage and Experienced researchers will receive training and conduct research in a hosting institution abroad. In addition to achieving the scientific goals, the project also aims to develop highly skilled professionals at the interface of materials science and engineering and the biological sciences.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • ASOCIACION CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION COOPERATIVA EN BIOMATERIALES- CIC biomaGUNE · San SebastianCoordinatorSpain
  • CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY · BangkokThailand
  • CONSEJO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Y TECNICAS (CONICET) · Buenos AiresArgentina
  • NANOVECTOR SRL · TorinoItaly
  • NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO · TOKYOJapan
  • TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · HaifaIsrael
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM · AustinUnited States
  • UNIVERSIDAD DE BUENOS AIRES · Buenos AiresArgentina
  • UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE · FlorenceItaly
  • UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL · WestvilleSouth Africa

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union