The ROSSCA R&D&I project, which aims to develop neuroprotective nanozymes to be tested in trials against Alzheimer’s disease, has begun its work
Research work has begun on the ROSSCA project, which aims to develop a new type of magnetically activatable nano-enzymes for therapeutic purposes, with a specific focus on Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The project has a budget of approximately €1,000,000 (997,643 euros) and a duration of three years. ROSSCA is led by Gerardo F. Goya Rossetti, Professor at the University of Zaragoza and researcher at the Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute (INMA), a joint institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR), in collaboration with entities from three countries in Europe and South America.
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition and one of the main causes of dementia worldwide, the aetiology of which is not yet fully clarified. Two key factors in AD are deposits of amyloid-beta (Ab) and hyperphosphorylated tau in the brain, both of which generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). The aim of the ROSSCA Project is to develop a new therapeutic approach that acts on these Ab and tau deposits, while restoring the activity of antioxidant enzymes that maintain the redox balance in brain tissue affected in AD patients. It seeks to develop an innovative platform that includes nanozymes as neuroprotectants, ready to be tested in clinical trials for AD applications. In addition, all partners will be involved in knowledge transfer, in collaboration with the industrial sector, which will play an advisory role in the project.
The ROSSCA consortium is composed of established researchers from three European countries (Spain, Slovenia and Poland) and one South American country (Brazil), all experts in complementary and synergistic scientific areas, covering: magnetically activated nanomaterials, ecotoxicology of nanomaterials, cellular models of neurodegeneration, biochemistry of tau and beta-amyloid proteins, behavioural models for neurodegenerative diseases and anatomopathology of neurological lesions. The team also has an interdisciplinary and transnational advisory board, key to amplifying the impact of the project.
In addition to the coordination of Gerardo Goya from the University of Zaragoza, the project includes the following partners: Bojana Zegura, from the National Institute of Biology (Slovenia), Vanessa de Jesus Rodrigues, from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), and Anna Haduch, from the Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland).
25-09-2024
