Reference number : GC-2017-Q1-00240, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Hoare, Todd (McMaster University), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Ontario, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Collaborative Health Research Projects, program name french : Projets de recherche concertée sur la santé, program purpose english : Delivering drugs using nanoparticles has been demonstrated in multiple cases to improve the_x000D_
ability of drugs to get to their target sites, particularly in cases in which drugs must be_x000D_
transported inside cells to be functional and/or drug must be transported from the blood_x000D_
through hard-to-penetrate biological barriers (e.g. into the brain or through dense tissues such_x000D_
as tumour masses). Starch nanoparticles (SNPs), developed by our partner EcoSynthetix,_x000D_
have particular potential for drug delivery in this context given their capacity for direct loading_x000D_
of drug during fabrication, their extremely small sizes, their gel-like properties (and thus_x000D_
potential to deform under stress), and their biological inertness. However, there are two_x000D_
inherent limitations to using SNPs for drug delivery: (1) drug release from SNPs is very fast_x000D_
given their porous structures and (2) the small size of SNPs, while ideal for penetrating into_x000D_
the brain or deep into tumours, also induces relatively fast clearance of SNPs from normal_x000D_
circulation, restricting the capacity of SNPs to transport drugs to target sites. In this proposal,_x000D_
we aim to address these challenges by (1) engineering the surface of SNPs to adjust drug_x000D_
release rates to desired values and (2) developing methods of fabricating controlled clusters_x000D_
of SNPs with good circulation properties that can be selectively degraded where drug release_x000D_
is desired (either by specific chemistry at the target site or by external activation after a_x000D_
specific time). We anticipate that such SNP-based materials will significantly improve the_x000D_
delivery of drugs not only deep inside tumours and both into and within the brain (our two_x000D_
proof-of-concept demonstrations) but also other diseases in which effective therapy is limited_x000D_
by drug transport. Such capacity is anticipated to both improve health outcomes for_x000D_
Canadians suffering from such diseases as well as provide a new, value-added market to_x000D_
EcoSynthetix that will promote new job creation in Canada., program purpose french : Delivering drugs using nanoparticles has been demonstrated in multiple cases to improve the_x000D_
ability of drugs to get to their target sites, particularly in cases in which drugs must be_x000D_
transported inside cells to be functional and/or drug must be transported from the blood_x000D_
through hard-to-penetrate biological barriers (e.g. into the brain or through dense tissues such_x000D_
as tumour masses). Starch nanoparticles (SNPs), developed by our partner EcoSynthetix,_x000D_
have particular potential for drug delivery in this context given their capacity for direct loading_x000D_
of drug during fabrication, their extremely small sizes, their gel-like properties (and thus_x000D_
potential to deform under stress), and their biological inertness. However, there are two_x000D_
inherent limitations to using SNPs for drug delivery: (1) drug release from SNPs is very fast_x000D_
given their porous structures and (2) the small size of SNPs, while ideal for penetrating into_x000D_
the brain or deep into tumours, also induces relatively fast clearance of SNPs from normal_x000D_
circulation, restricting the capacity of SNPs to transport drugs to target sites. In this proposal,_x000D_
we aim to address these challenges by (1) engineering the surface of SNPs to adjust drug_x000D_
release rates to desired values and (2) developing methods of fabricating controlled clusters_x000D_
of SNPs with good circulation properties that can be selectively degraded where drug release_x000D_
is desired (either by specific chemistry at the target site or by external activation after a_x000D_
specific time). We anticipate that such SNP-based materials will significantly improve the_x000D_
delivery of drugs not only deep inside tumours and both into and within the brain (our two_x000D_
proof-of-concept demonstrations) but also other diseases in which effective therapy is limited_x000D_
by drug transport. Such capacity is anticipated to both improve health outcomes for_x000D_
Canadians suffering from such diseases as well as provide a new, value-added market to_x000D_
EcoSynthetix that will promote new job creation in Canada., agreement title english : Engineering Starch-Based Nanoparticles and Nanoparticle Clusters for Improving Local Drug Delivery to Tumour Cores and the Brain, agreement title french : Engineering Starch-Based Nanoparticles and Nanoparticle Clusters for Improving Local Drug Delivery to Tumour Cores and the Brain, agreement number : CHRPJ, agreement value : 240625.0, agreement start date : 2017-04-25, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2020-2021), additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier. (2017-2018 à 2020-2021), owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada