Temperature-responsive Nanogels for Targeted Delivery of MicroRNAs in Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration Applications

Acronyme	TENTACLES
Call	The 10 Joint Call for the ERA-NET EuroNanoMed-III
Implementation period	01.02.2020. – 31.01.2023.
Project coordinator	Andrea Masotti, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù-IRCCS
Project partners	Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù-IRCCS, Italy
	Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Latvia
	FutureSynthesis. Sp. z o.o., Poland
	Anses – Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail, France
	Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center SAS, Slovakia
External collaborators	Andrea Caporali, University of Edinburgh /BHF Centre For Cardiovascular Science The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, UK Nicolas Cassinelli, nB nanoScale Biomagnetics, Spain
Project web page	https://www.tentacles-enm3.eu/
Leader of Latvian team	Dr. Arkadijs Sobolevs
Total costs	€ 914 400
Costs for Latvian partner	€ 210 000

Summary

The development of novel therapeutically active wound dressings which provide the wound protection from ‘environmental’ effects as well as wound healing promotion has an advantageous potential for clinical applications. Nanotechnology-based materials incorporated into scaffolds allow the creation of nanocomposite smart materials with unique physicochemical and biological properties to promote regeneration. Our aim is to develop an innovative multifunctional nanogel that will integrate the protective and healing functions within one nanocomposite smart structure made by polymer-based nanohydrogel, iron oxide nanoparticles and targeted miRNAs. The heating mediated by iron oxide nanoparticles will promote the induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs) involved in fibrogenesis and the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) production and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), which is essential to fibrosis. Specific miRNA molecules will promote wound healing via expression/modulation of particular genes. The proposed innovation could revolutionize wound healing therapeutical strategy particularly for diabetic or long stay recovered patients.