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Desarrollan el primer fármaco que elimina células madre metastásicas

Desarrollan el primer fármaco que elimina células madre metastásicas

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  Se trata de un nanofármaco que abre una nueva vía para la prevención de la metástasis en el cáncer colorrectal   El nuevo fármaco funciona como un dron que identifica las células madre metastásicas, administra el fármaco y destruye únicamente estas células bloqueando la metástasis. De esta forma se evita la toxicidad general asociada a los tratamientos habituales, y se abre una nueva vía para prevenir la metástasis en el cáncer colorrectal. leer mas..
Dr. A. Villaverde: Conformational Conversion during Controlled Oligomerization into Nonamylogenic Protein Nanoparticles

Dr. A. Villaverde: Conformational Conversion during Controlled Oligomerization into Nonamylogenic Protein Nanoparticles

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Abstract Protein materials are rapidly gaining interest in materials sciences and nanomedicine because of their intrinsic biocompatibility and full biodegradability. The controlled construction of supramolecular entities relies on the controlled oligomerization of individual polypeptides, achievable through different strategies. Because of the potential toxicity of amyloids, those based on alternative molecular organizations are particularly appealing, but the structural bases on nonamylogenic oligomerization remain poorly studied. We have applied spectrofluorimetry and spectropolarimetry to identify the conformational conversion during the oligomerization of His-tagged cationic stretches into regular nanoparticles ranging around 11 nm, useful for tumor-targeted drug delivery. We de...
Dr. A. Villaverde: Surface-Bound Gradient Deposition of Protein Nanoparticles for Cell Motility Studies

Dr. A. Villaverde: Surface-Bound Gradient Deposition of Protein Nanoparticles for Cell Motility Studies

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  Abstract   A versatile evaporation-assisted methodology based on the coffee-drop effect is described to deposit nanoparticles on surfaces, obtaining for the first time patterned gradients of protein nanoparticles (pNPs) by using a simple custom-made device. Fully controllable patterns with specific periodicities consisting of stripes with different widths and distinct nanoparticle concentration as well as gradients can be produced over large areas (∼10 cm2) in a fast (up to 10 mm2/min), reproducible, and cost-effective manner using an operational protocol optimized by an evolutionary algorithm. The developed method opens the possibility to decorate surfaces “a-la-carte” with pNPs enabling different categories of high-throughput studies on cell motility.   https://pubs.acs.o
Dr. I. Roig : ATR is required to complete meiotic recombination in mice

Dr. I. Roig : ATR is required to complete meiotic recombination in mice

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  Precise execution of recombination during meiosis is essential for forming chromosomally-balanced gametes. Meiotic recombination initiates with the formation and resection of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Cellular responses to meiotic DSBs are critical for efficient repair and quality control, but molecular features of these remain poorly understood, particularly in mammals. Here we report that the DNA damage response protein kinase ATR is crucial for meiotic recombination and completion of meiotic prophase in mice. Using a hypomorphic Atr mutation and pharmacological inhibition of ATR in vivo and in cultured spermatocytes, we show that ATR, through its effector kinase CHK1, promotes efficient RAD51 and DMC1 assembly at RPA-coated resected DSB sites and establishment of interh...
Nanoligent, the spin off created by the Directors of Units 1 and 18 of NANBIOSIS, awarded for the best company in Health Sciences given by the law firm RCD

Nanoligent, the spin off created by the Directors of Units 1 and 18 of NANBIOSIS, awarded for the best company in Health Sciences given by the law firm RCD

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NANOLIGENT is awarded for the best company in Health Sciences  Price given by the law firm RCD. The XXIII Investment Forum of ACCIÓ 2018 was celebrated last June 20th  with the aim of connecting with the world of private investment.  ACCIÓ, Company Competitiveness Agency, had previously published a catalog of startups with the most potential startups in Catalonia, projects selected from more than 100 candidatures were presented for the 2018 Investment Forum of ACTION. The 50 companies in this catalog stand out due to their differential nature and innovative value, due to their social impact and the involvement of the entrepreneurial team. They are companies operating in key sectors for the economy of the future such as life and health sciences, ICT and other crucial cutting-edge technolog
Self-assembling toxin-based nanoparticles as self-delivered antitumoral drugs

Self-assembling toxin-based nanoparticles as self-delivered antitumoral drugs

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Abstract Loading capacity and drug leakage from vehicles during circulation in blood is a major concern when developing nanoparticle-based cell-targeted cytotoxics. To circumvent this potential issue it would be convenient the engineering of drugs as self-delivered nanoscale entities, devoid of any heterologous carriers. In this context, we have here engineered potent protein toxins, namely segments of the diphtheria toxin and the Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin as self-assembling, self-delivered therapeutic materials targeted to CXCR4+ cancer stem cells. The systemic administration of both nanostructured drugs in a colorectal cancer xenograft mouse model promotes efficient and specific local destruction of target tumor tissues and a significant reduction of the tumor volume. This o...
Selective CXCR4+ Cancer Cell Targeting and Potent Antineoplastic Effect by a Nanostructured Version of Recombinant Ricin

Selective CXCR4+ Cancer Cell Targeting and Potent Antineoplastic Effect by a Nanostructured Version of Recombinant Ricin

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  Abstract Under the unmet need of efficient tumor‐targeting drugs for oncology, a recombinant version of the plant toxin ricin (the modular protein T22‐mRTA‐H6) is engineered to self‐assemble as protein‐only, CXCR4‐targeted nanoparticles. The soluble version of the construct self‐organizes as regular 11 nm planar entities that are highly cytotoxic in cultured CXCR4+ cancer cells upon short time exposure, with a determined IC50 in the nanomolar order of magnitude. The chemical inhibition of CXCR4 binding sites in exposed cells results in a dramatic reduction of the cytotoxic potency, proving the receptor‐dependent mechanism of cytotoxicity. The insoluble version of T22‐mRTA‐H6 is, contrarily, moderately active, indicating that free, nanostructured protein is
Release of targeted protein nanoparticles from functional bacterial amyloids: A death star-like approach

Release of targeted protein nanoparticles from functional bacterial amyloids: A death star-like approach

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Abstract Sustained release of drug delivery systems (DDS) has the capacity to increase cancer treatment efficiency in terms of drug dosage reduction and subsequent decrease of deleterious side effects. In this regard, many biomaterials are being investigated but none offers morphometric and functional plasticity and versatility comparable to protein-based nanoparticles (pNPs). Here we describe a new DDS by which pNPs are fabricated as bacterial inclusion bodies (IB), that can be easily isolated, subcutaneously injected and used as reservoirs for the sustained release of targeted pNPs. Our approach combines the high performance of pNP, regarding specific cell targeting and biodistribution with the IB supramolecular organization, stability and cost effectiveness. This renders a platform a