EU investment in research on how RNA-based drugs can reach the brain

Of the almost SEK 90 million that the EU has decided to award the project, around SEK 7.5 million will be allocated to Hadi Valadi’s research team at the University of Gothenburg. The project is called NAP4DIVE. Over the course of the next four years, researchers will develop innovative tools for the effective transportation of RNA-based drugs and other medications to the central nervous system.

“One of the biggest challenges in this context is crossing the blood–brain barrier, which significantly limits the opportunities to deliver medications to the central nervous system to treat conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and brain tumors,” explains Hadi.

Therapeutic molecules in exosomes

Hadi’s team will investigate the potential of extracellular vesicles, also known as exosomes, and how they can effectively carry RNA-based drugs through the blood–brain barrier and into the central nervous system. Exosomes are like the body’s own nano-sized vesicles, which cells use to carry information between themselves.

“We have recently identified a cellular mechanism that enables us to load therapeutic mRNA and RNAi molecules into exosomes to ensure they are transported to the central nervous system,” he continues.

Integrated cooperation in Gothenburg

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Alongside Swedish researchers, the project also includes researchers from Finland, France, the Netherlands, Estonia, and the Czech Republic. The Gothenburg-based researchers include teams at Chalmers University of Technology and AstraZeneca.

“We will work closely with both Fredrik Höök’s team at Chalmers and John Wiseman at AstraZeneca. We will exchange samples with each other, and will offer students and researchers the opportunity to work in each other’s laboratories to carry out experiments and deepen their knowledge of the interdisciplinary methods being developed within the project.”

TEXT: ELIN LINDSTRÖM