TDCCPCS (277098)

  https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/277098

  FP7 (2007-2013)

  Targeted delivery of charged membrane impermeant compounds to pain-sensing and cancer cells

  Marie Curie Action: "Reintegration Grants" (FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG)

  alkali metals  ·  oncology

  2011-05-01 Start Date (YY-MM-DD)

  2015-04-30 End Date (YY-MM-DD)

  € 100,000 Total Cost

  Description

Targeted delivery of therapeutic compounds to selective cell types is of great clinical importance and can minimize undesired side effects. Recently, we have introduced a way to target the delivery of sodium channel blockers selectively to nociceptive neurons, and thus capitalize on their effectiveness in blocking action potentials but now only at sites of pain generation. Using this approach we have been able to abolish the response to noxious mechanical and thermal stimuli without motor or tactile deficit (Binshtok et al., Nature). This approach represents a novel concept of targeted delivery and can be used to block activity and also to modulate intracellular signal transduction and metabolism pathways in pain- sensing neurons a well as cancer or any other large cation non-selective channels-expressing cells, while minimizing effects on other types of cells. We now need further explore the utility of this technique for clinical use as an analgesic and also see if the strategy can be used in more generalized way to targeted delivery of charger compounds, beyond charged local anesthetics, to specific types of cells. This project aims to develop methods for targeted delivery of charged local anesthetics to diminish inflammatory, postoperative and neuropathic pain. The second part of this project will be to examine different strategies to expand the approach to selectively target charged cytotoxic or antiproliferative compounds into cancer cells. This interdisciplinary project will incorporate imaging techniques and electrophysiological, histological and behavioral experiments. We believe that the results of our work will lead to a more effective treatment of pain with significantly fewer side effects. Furthermore targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents into tumor cell will improve their therapeutic index and hereby limits their side effects as well as the associated pain.

  Complicit Organisations

1 Israeli organisation participates in TDCCPCS.