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Recent statistics indicate that over three million people in the EU have Alzheimer disease (AD). This figure is destined to rise as the population ages, doubling by 2040 in Western Europe and trebling in Eastern Europe. Therefore, the search for effective therapies and early diagnosis is imperative. A hallmark of the disease in the AD brain is extracellular aggregates (plaques) of the cytotoxic peptide β-amyloid (Aβ). STAB VIDA integrates a project that intends to use nanoparticles (NPs) for therapy and diagnosis, singly or combined (theragnostics), focusing on brain Aβ as the target. Brain and blood Aβ are in equilibrium across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), so the project also considers blood Aβ as a target. Different Nanoparticles (NPs) (liposomes, solid lipid NPs, polymeric NPs) will be multiple-functionalized with:
- molecules interacting with Aβ;
- molecules stimulating BBB crossing;
- PET or MRI contrast agents.
Artificial and cellular models will be used to improve and fine-tune NP binding to Aβ, biocompatibility, BBB crossing and physical stability, keeping to a minimum the use of animals, although the efficacy of NPs will finally have to be evaluated in rodent models of AD. Different routes of administration (i.v., oral, nasal) or different protocols (two-step, NP cocktails, aerosols) will be employed to boost NP brain delivery. The prediction is that NPs will range, detect, disaggregate, and remove brain Aβ. Besides this action, NPs will interact with blood Aβ, drawing out the excess of brain peptide by a “sink” effect. NPs that can cross the BBB will be engineered as a side-product of the project, for potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry.
