Date: 2017-02-01
Type of information: Grant
Company: 20Med Therapeutics (NL)
Investors: European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme
Amount: €6 million
Funding type: grant
Planned used: The multinational research project B-SMART (Brain-specific, Modular and Active RNA Therapeutics) sets out to provide an RNA-based therapy perspective for neurodegenerative diseases targeting the direct cause of the
disease instead of its symptoms. “Transferring RNA therapeutics to the brain crossing the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier is a unique research endeavor,” said Prof. Raymond Schiffelers from the University Medical Center Utrecht and coordinator of B-SMART.
20Med Therapeutics will contribute to the project by applying its proprietary 20Med nanogels for the delivery of RNA therapeutics. 20Med’s delivery system is based on highly innovative bioresponsive polymers and has proven to protect the RNA payload during transport and to
address all aspects of intracellular delivery, resulting in highly efficient gene and drug delivery.
The consortium will work on specific nanocarriers protecting the RNA against enzymatic degradation while delivering it to the human brain. Crossing the brain-cerebrospinal fluid barrier requires specific targeting ligands, which will be based on heavy chain-only nanobodies that are smaller and more stable than conventional antibodies. The modular delivery system will be tested for safety and efficacy using in vitro and in vivo assays. To improve the nanomedicine manufacturability, B&l
Others: B-SMART unites internationally renowned experts from 9 academic institutions and industrial partners coordinated by the University Medical Center Utrecht.
The project is funded with a total budget of €6 million over the next five years by the European Commission’s current Research Framework Programme Horizon 2020.
The B-SMART partners are involved in numerou exceptional national and international research programmes targeting close communication with the industry throughout all project stages in order to bridge the research-industry gap and enable timely exploitation of the project results.
B-SMART Partners includes:
*Netherlands University Medical Center Utrecht
*20 Med Therapeutics B.V.
*Spain University of Santiago de Compostela
*Belgium VIB
*United Kingdom The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford
*Malvern Instruments Ltd
*Italy Istituto Biochimico Italiano Giovanni Lorenzini SpA
Norway Stiftelsen SINTEFTherapeutic area: Neurodegenerative diseases
