Nano4Neuro

Spinal cord injuries and damage to the peripheral nervous system cannot be healed, or only to a limited extent. Nerve regeneration is primarily prevented by gaps in the tissue, scarring and inhibitory proteins. These inhibitory components are to be overcome using tailored siRNA nanoparticles in conjunction with resorbable biomaterial prostheses.

Spinal cord injuries and damage to the peripheral nervous system cannot be healed, or only to a limited extent. Nerve regeneration is primarily prevented by gaps in the tissue, scarring and inhibitory proteins. Nanomedical approaches promise innovative regenerative therapies in addition to traditional methods. The Nano4Neuro project offers a new interdisciplinary concept in the field of materials science and biomedical research. This project combines nanostructured resorbable implants with molecular biological nanotherapeutics.

Nanostructured, resorbable implants (tubes containing filaments) with nanopores are used. These guarantee an exchange of nutrients and at the same time prevent the infiltration of disturbing cells. With these biomaterial-based implants, lesions in the nerve tissue are to be bridged in a targeted manner. Nanotherapeutics such as oligonucleotide biomaterial nanoparticles will be integrated into the above-mentioned implant and will thus modulate very specific cellular processes in order to a) specifically counteract scarring and b) desensitize regrowing neurites to growth-inhibiting proteins in adult nerve tissue. The intracellular signaling pathways of neurites are therapeutically modified by suppressing central proteins.[nbsp] This inhibition of the proteins occurs by switching off the associated genes using ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi).

For a possible clinical application of RNAi technology (Nobel Prize 2006) in the nervous system, we will specifically focus on the production of siRNA nanoparticles. This includes new cell-specific products in connection with the macro-implant. The incorporation of these nanotherapeutics into the biomaterial of the implant will mean a new, innovative drug delivery at the target site. The nano-biofunctionalized implants will be tested in preclinical lesion models of the peripheral nervous system and spinal cord in rats. Nanotherapeutic technology is a cross-sectional technology that could easily be applied to many other medical indications. The combined, far-reaching competences of the European countries will enable us to achieve the goals of this interdisciplinary regenerative therapy concept.