Project: CeO2 Nanoparticles-assisted stem cell therapy: an innovative nanopharmaceutical approach to treat retinal degenerative diseases.
| Acronym | CELLUX (Reference Number: EURONANOMED2019-111) |
| Duration | 01/01/2020 - 31/12/2022 |
| Project Topic | Chronic inflammation is now regarded as a major pathogenic pathway common in different pathologies. In the case of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a disease currently unavoidable that represents a major cause of blindness in people over 50, and affects millions of people worldwide. The progression of AMD is related to an increase of oxidative stress and inflammatory response leading to retinal cell death. Currently, studies suggest that chronic inflammation regression is a feasible objective to stop disease progression and enable tissue regeneration. Recently, a new agent has been added to the group of antioxidant/anti-inflammatory substances with therapeutic properties: cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs). CeO2NPs have a unique electronic structure that when its size is reduced to the nanoscale, oxygen defects appear at the surface, behaving as sites for free radical scavenging. Thus, the main objective of the CELLUX project is to develop a novel pharmaceutical-based CeO2NPs antioxidant eye drops to treat AMD that in combination with cell-based therapeutic strategies will restore vision. The CELLUX project aims to: 1) Optimize the protocol for obtaining and stabilizing an eye drop formulation of CeO2NPs; 2) Optimize routes of administration in animal models to for further use in humans; 3) Advance on the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory process, repair and regeneration of the retina; 4) Evaluate the combined CeO2NPs with cell therapy in animal models to ensure a successful therapy for further applications in humans and design a translational approach in a Phase I clinical trial. The accomplishment of the objectives owill represent a significant advance in the current concept of nanomedicine to treat different degenerative conditions. This multidisciplinary, highly collaborative bench-to-bedside approach will provide both economic impact and added value for public health. |
| Network | EuroNanoMed III |
| Call | Joint Transnational Call (2019) |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vall d'Hebron Research Institute | Coordinator | Spain |
| 2 | NILU-Norwegian Institute for Air Research | Partner | Norway |
| 3 | Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS | Partner | Italy |
| 4 | Technical University of Liberec | Partner | Czech Republic |
| 5 | Centre international de recherche en infectiologie (CIRI)/ INSERM U1111 | Partner | France |
| 6 | Applied Nanoparticles S.L . | Partner | Spain |