FOR 917:  Nanoparticle-based Delivery of Innovative Therapies (NanoTarget)

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: from 2009 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 40403621

Gene- and cell-based therapies have great potential for the treatment of human diseases. However, targeting the transfer of genetic material (nucleic acids, viral and non-viral vectors) to specific cells in certain, defined body areas is still a major hurdle for successful gene-based therapies. In addition, targeted positioning of cells in organs of the patient would be required for many cell-based therapies (e.g. stem cells) to achieve efficient accumulation of therapeutic cells in damaged organs.
The aim of this Research Unit is the development of nanoparticle-based strategies for targeted transduction and positioning of cells. We will focus on the cardiovascular system, because of its high medical relevance. Furthermore, the cardiovascular continuum is of outmost importance for the delivery of therapies - be it genetic material and/or cells - via the circulation.
To achieve non-invasive targeting of genetic material and transduced cells, nanoparticles will be used that are superparamagnetic (magnetic nanoparticles, MNPs). The use of MNPs has the big advantage that these particles and their cargo as well as MNP containing cells can be guided by magnetic fields.

• DFG Programme: Research Units

Projects

• Common Resources (Applicant Pfeifer, Alexander )
• Magnetic microbubble mediated vascular gene transfer for prevention of endothelial dysregulation during insulin resistance (Applicant Mannell, Hanna )
• Magnetic nanoparticles assisted modulation of the vascular cGMP system (Applicant Pfeifer, Alexander )
• Modeling and evaluation of interactions between magnetic complexes and magnetic fields with MRI, M(H) and MRX methods - design of magnetic systems for targeting of magnetic complexes (Applicants Gleich, Bernhard ;  Trahms, Lutz )
• Nanomagnetic formulations for integrated nucleic acid delivery, cell labelling and imaging with a focus on mRNA transfection for cell reprogramming (Applicant Plank, Christian )
• Nanomagneto-assisted cell- and gene therapy in the heart for the treatment of post-infarct complications (Applicant Röll, Wilhelm )
• Nanomagneto-assisted diagnosis and therapy of cardiac arrhythmias (Applicant Sasse, Philipp )
• Targeted adenoviral delivery to the heart by magnetic microbubbles and highly focused ultrasound and imaging of gene transfer related processes (Applicant Anton, Martina )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Alexander Pfeifer