NanoTAS · Nanoagent-based three-method treatment for atherosclerosis: Combination of thermal, mechanical, and drug-based methods
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2023-02-01 → 2025-01-31
- EU contribution
- €165,313
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Nanoagent-based three-method treatment for atherosclerosis: Combination of thermal, mechanical, and drug-based methods
Atherosclerosis, a vascular disease, is one of the leading causes of endangering human health; so that its severe and developed stages follow up irrecoverable outcomes such as heart attacks and strokes that result in killing large numbers of patients every year worldwide. In a general definition, the Atherosclerosis refers to the accumulation and deposition of plaques (lipids, extracellular matrix, and cellular debris) in blood vessels, leading to narrowing the vessels. However, it has recently been demonstrated that the Atherosclerosis is essentially an inflammatory process in which inflammatory macrophages contribute to plaque formation and consequently play pivotal roles in the blood vessel stenosis and disease progress. The aim of NanoTAS is to implement of an efficient treatment for the atherosclerosis disease based on thermal treatment using heat-generating nano-structured agents (NAs). The heat generation for thermal treatment is accomplished using the thermal ability of the NAs which can remotely be activated by physical stimuli such as alternating magnetic field (known as magnetic hyperthermia Therapy; MHT) and near infrared laser (known as photothermal therapy; PTT). Accordingly, the main objective of NanoTAS is design and synthesis of biocompatible NAs with high heating efficiencies under external stimuli, that are able to significantly damage to inflammatory macrophage cells. Although such a thermal treatment is mostly focused on the cancer treatment, it is expected to take one step further and play an important role in the decrease of the inflammation in the atherosclerosis disease.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The aim of NanoTAS is to propose a novel three-method treatment for the atherosclerosis (AS) disease based on nano-structured agents (NAs), which incorporates three kinds of methods into a single one: 1) Thermal treatment, 2) Mechanical treatment, and 3) Anti-AS drug-based treatment. The NAs employed in the NanoTAS are proposed to have a novel composite structure including magnetic agents (ferrite-based nanorods; FNRs) and plasmonic agents (Au nanostars; AuNSs). Thermal treatment is accomplished through magneto-photo thermal therapy (MPTT), a combination of magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT) using FNRs under alternating magnetic field (AMF) and photothermal therapy (PTT) using AuNSs under near-infrared laser (NIR-laser) while mechanical treatment is performed through rotation of NAs (by their magnetic part i.e. FNRs) under rotating magnetic field (RMF). The NAs also load anti-AS drug and deliver it to target sites through a biocompatible and thermo-sensitive polymer. Accordingly, the specific objectives of NanoTAS can be summarized as: Oi) Decreasing the inflammation in blood vessels involved in the AS through thermal treatment (MPTT). Oii) Targeted release of anti-AS drug using a thermo-sensitive mechanism triggered by thermal treatment. Oiii) Breaking and abrading plaques using mechanical treatment through rotation of NAs under RMF. The objectives are achieved through applying the external stimuli on the drug-loaded NAs, during the following steps: Step 1) Applying both AMF and NIR-laser: This is a two-purpose step in which thermal treatment is accomplished aiming both decrease in inflammation (Oi) and drug release (Oii). Step 2) Applying RMF: This step is applied for breaking and chipping the structure of plaques (Oiii). Step 3) Repeating the step 1: This step is a supplementary one to decrease in remaining inflammation (Oi).
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA · GranadaCoordinatorSpain
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101064263
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5167827c8&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5ff185754&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union