Universal Nano-enhancer for a new multiplexing Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging analysis of miRNAs in multiple sclerosis (NanoPlasmiRNA)

Project title: Universal Nano-enhancer for a new multiplexing Surface Plasmon Resonance Imaging analysis of miRNAs in multiple sclerosis (NanoPlasmiRNA)

Funding: ERA-NET EuroNanoMed II Joint Transnational Call for Proposals (2015) for “European Innovative Research & Technological Development Projects in Nanomedicine”

Period: 24 months (1st January 2016 – 31st December 2017)

Coordinator: Dr. Renzo Vanna, Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Clinical Biophotonics (LABION), Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi

Partners: Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS (FDG), Aragon Institute of Material Science & University of Zaragoza (CSIC), Latvian Biomedical Research and Study centre (BMC), Clemson University (CLUN).

BMC Principle Investigator: Dr.biol. Aija Linē

Project description:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) monitoring and treatments are currently based solely on subjective and scarcely predictive analyses such as MRI and clinical assessment. The use of biomarkers circulating in blood would certainly improve the management of this disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) could be promising biomarkers but, at the same time, the validation and the clinical use of miRNAs are hampered by the limited availability of appropriate analytical technologies. The aim of this project is to develop a nanotechnology-enhanced surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi)-based method of facilitating more effective analysis of miRNA biomarkers, and demonstrate its use in MS. The main task of BMC in this project is to select a panel of ~60 MS-related miRNAs for testing on the basis of a review of the recent literature and the deep sequencing of MS patient/control samples.

Information published: 04.01.2016.