COMPUTATIONAL MODELLING TO CHARACTERIZE AND OPTIMIZE DENDRIMER BASED NANOCARRIERS FOR siRNA DELIVERY IN CHRONICLE OBSTRUCTION PULMONARY DISEASE

• Research unit: COST
• Project number: C16.0081

Key words (English)

Dendrimers; siRNA; Gene delivery; Molecular Modelling; Pulmonary Diseases; Rational design

Research programs (English)

COST-Action MP1404 - Simulation and Pharmaceutical Technologies for Advanced Patient-Tailored Inhaled Medicines

Short description (English)

The project will focus on ad hoc dendrimer-­based systems suitable for inhalator purpose and able to guarantee an high Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-­a) silencing as a novel strategy to target the pulmonary disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Our research will be focused on molecular modelling to perform an accurate evaluation of the physico-­chemical and molecular properties, as well as on the mechanism of action of several functionalized dendrimers which has shown to be effective in delivering siRNA targeting TNF-­a. The scientific research will be led by Prof. Andrea Danani, supported by his group at the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA). The project will benefit from the open collaboration with Prof. Elias Fattal, University of Paris-­Sud in Châtenay-­Malabry, together with Prof. Jean-­Pierre Majoral, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination in Toulouse. The partners with recognized expertise in experimental design and testing of NPs for siRNA delivery and pulmonary drug delivery systems will support the project with complementary experimental activities for guiding and validating theoretical calculations. Results of our modelling activities not only will directly contribute to Profs. Fattal and Majoral research, bridging a current lack, but could also open new frontiers for the development of dendrimers-­based siRNA carriers to be applied to pulmonary diseases.

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise: SUPSI Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA) Università della Svizzera Italiana

Partners and International Organizations (English)

AT; BE, CY; CZ; DK; FR, DE, EL; HU, IE, IL; IT, MT; MNE; NL; NO: PT; RO: RS, SI; ES; SE; UK; SG; US

Abstract (English)

See short description

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. [phone] Swiss Project-Number: C16.0081