(Uh1/UH3) RFA-RM-12-014
Projects
Unraveling the underlying mechanisms of tumor growth and metastasis is critical to developing curative strategies against castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). More
The goal of this UH2 and UH3 is to study how exosomes can deliver siRNAs across the blood brain barrier to enter neurons and other brain cells. The immediate target is the mutant huntingtin mRNA. More
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological disease of young adulthood. It is an incurable autoimmune disorder involving oligodendrocyte loss, demyelination, and an inability to remyelinate damaged brain. More
In response to NIH RFA: RM-12-014, it is proposed to engineer exosomes, the body’s “natural antigen delivery system,” in order to enhance their natural capacity to activate reductive prodrugs and attach to their surface ligands that specifically target HER2-positive breast cancer, many cases of which are resistant to the current therapies (e.g., trastuzumab). More
Recent studies indicate that cellular derived vesicles can alter the genomic phenotype of separate target cells by transfer of RNA species. Further work has indicated that mesenchymal stem cell-derived vesicles (MSC-dv) can mediate healing of injured renal and marrow tissue by transfer of microRNA. More
A new therapeutic modality is to use oligonucleotides to restore the levels of tumor suppressive miRNAs to that of normal cells or tissues. Successful targeting and delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides has been a major bottleneck in their clinical development. More
RNA molecules are secreted in extracellular spaces (exRNAs) and act as endocrine signals altering the phenotypes of cancer cells. In this application we will focus on the class of small non-codingRNAs named microRNAs. More
The overall goal of this proposal is to develop exosome-like nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle for targetable delivery of extracellular RNA (exRNA) primarily focusing on miRNAs which modulate gene expression and induce immune responses upon delivery in mouse tumor models. More