You are here: vision-research.eu » Vision Research » Vision Research Projects

Projects in Vision Research

Peptide-based Nanoparticles as Ocular Drug Delivery Vehicles

Project Acronym PANOPTES
Postal Address Coordinator Prof Neil Cameron
Contract Number 246180
Project Start 01-11-2010
Project End 31-10-2014
Funding Organisation European Commission, FP7
Funding Instrument NMP-2009-1.1-1 STREP
Project Summary The PANOPTES project will develop methodology for the manufacture of novel peptide-based nanoparticles and nanocapsules to satisfy an unmet clinical need: sustained drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye. Polyester micro- and nanoparticles that have been proposed for ocular drug delivery have several major drawbacks: acidic degradation products cause inflammation; drug release is difficult to control; and peptides and proteins are difficult to encapsulate. A platform of novel, peptide-based nanomaterials, formed through bio-inspired self-assembly processes, will be developed to overcome these problems. Peptide-based materials have a number of attractive features: biodegradation gives non-inflammatory products; self-assembly occurs under mild conditions; they possess a rich chemical diversity; they are defined at the sequence level. Polypeptides and peptide hybrid materials will be processed into nanoparticles, polymeric vesicles (polymersomes) and nanocapsules. These biodegradable and biocompatible materials will be used as containers for the loading, controlled release and cellular delivery of therapeutic molecules. The consortium therefore will enable the industrial manufacture of as-yet unobtainable, high value nanotechnology-based products utilising intrinisically low-energy demand nanobiotechnological phenomena. These will produce a step change improvement in the quality of products for sustained drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye, enhancing the competitiveness of European industry.
Participants
  • University of Durham, U.K. (Prof Neil Cameron)
  • Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands (Prof Jan van Hest)
  • DSM Ahead BV, the Netherlands (Dr Aylvin Dias)
  • University of Helsinki, Finland (Prof Arto Urtti)
  • Complutense University of Madrid, Spain (Profs Rocío Herrero Vanrell and José Ramírez)
  • Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany (Prof Eberhart Zrenner)
Project Budget 3.9 million
Project Website www.panoptesfp7.eu

Back

Missing some information on vision-research.eu?


*



* mandatory field