Project: BIODEGRADABLE NANOPARTICLES OF SIMVASTATIN AS NEW THERAPEUTIC TOOL FOR CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE.

Acronym	NANOSIM (Reference Number: JTC2018-018)
Duration	01/06/2019 - 31/12/2022
Project Topic	The purpose of this project is to develop safe and specific biodegradable polymeric micelles loaded with simvastatin, precisely directed to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC). This achievement would allow increasing drug concentration to maximize its efficacy and reduce its toxicity, becoming a useful therapeutic tool for liver diseases. Statins are currently considered one of the most promising drugs to change the natural history of chronic liver diseases, by slowing or stopping the progressive inflammation of the liver and fibrosis. However, statins have side effects that increase in patients with advanced chronic liver disease, limiting the use of high doses and consequently preventing their full therapeutic potential. The present project proposes a series of studies aimed at the development and characterization of simvastatin encapsulated in biodegradable nanoparticles, specifically targeted to LSEC, and to the evaluation of their toxicity and safety. The project also proposes pre-clinical studies to analyze the paracrine interactions of the principal liver cells treated with the encapsulated simvastatin in a microfluidic liver platform (liver on a chip) and, finally, to determine its efficacy and side effects in an experimental animal model of advanced liver cirrhosis as the bile duct ligation model, the most susceptible one to simvastatin toxicity, but also in models of non alcoholic esteatohepatitis with advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis. The project, which covers the pre-clinical phases in both in vitro and in vivo models, is a clear translational research and is proposed as an approach that will serve, in the medium term, for its use in patients.
Website	visit project website
Network	EuroNanoMed III
Call	Joint Transnational Call (2018)

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Vall d'Hebron University Hospital (ICS-HUVH)	Coordinator	Spain
2	CELLVAX, SAS	Partner	France
3	The Hebrew University of Jerusalem	Partner	Israel