ANGIE will create an innovation eco-system around a radically new technology for localized targeted drug delivery in clinical environments based on magnetically steerable wireless nanodevices.
Current methods of drug delivery are limited in the sense of efficacy, as they cannot guarantee precise control of the drug release kinetics and modulation of the concentrations. The ANGIE project proposes an innovative system, which allows such a precise control and prolongs the effect of a single administration at the targeted location.
The new system will be based on micro- and nanotechnology, although the practical use of these emerging disciplines in clinical environment is still rather rare. ANGIE wants to create a solid baseline of knowledge and skills for localised targeted drug delivery based on steerable wireless nanodevices, capable of navigating the body vascular system to deliver drugs where no other instrument can go. This new approach allows health professionals to improve their intervention capacity to tackle multiple chronic diseases and enable them to deliver drugs precisely where needed, with minimal side effects.
The leading idea behind the project is almost visionary:
“We imagine a world where invasive surgery and systemic drug administration have become obsolete. Our goal is to get closer to that, to stand as a beacon pointing towards that, and to inspire others to help us get to that world,” stated the researchers in the project proposal.
As a practical example, the technology offered by ANGIE, will be demonstrated on the case of localized treatment of thrombotic stroke, i.e. a stroke caused by a blood clot that develops in the blood vessels inside the brain.
ANGIE was chosen in 2019 EIC Pathfinder call (FET Proactive: emerging paradigms and communities), in the subtopic category of implantable autonomous devices and materials.
The project starts in January 2021 and will run for 48 months, until December 2024. Among the participants, there are research institutions from Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Greece, Belgium and Portugal.
Background information
FET-Open and FET Proactive are now part of the Enhanced European Innovation Council (EIC) Pilot (specifically the Pathfinder), the new home for deep-tech research and innovation in Horizon 2020, the EU funding programme for research and innovation.
Source:https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/news/angie-new-nanotechnology-therapeutic-purposes