“Smart nanoparticles will help us unravel disease processes ongoing in the inflamed brain of patients with progressive disease and aid the development of new treatments for patients in need.”
Smart nanoparticles for bioimaging disease activity in progressive MS. Today, many treatment options are available for patients suffering from MS. These drugs are able to slow down, but not cure the disease. Once patients move into the progressive phase, treatments are no longer effective and prognosis is uncertain. More insights in the disease mechanisms of progressive MS are needed to provide solutions. In this project, smart nanoparticles are developed that specifically penetrate the inflamed brain during the progressive disease phase and enable us to visualize the disease process. Based on these discoveries, novel treatment strategies can be developed for this largely untreated population of patients.
the scientific project
While extensive research has been conducted regarding the disease mechanisms of MS, the exact etiology remains partly understood. One hurdle to study the inflamed CNS in patients is the limited accessibility caused by the presence of a protective layer, named the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This BBB acts as a neuroprotective shield by blocking foreign substances, including bioimaging probes which could aid in visualizing disease related processes to monitor the disease. In this project, novel functionalized bioimaging probes are developed that enable investigation of disease activity behind a closed BBB. When successful, these will contribute to a better and more accurate understanding of progressive MS and will thereby facilitate the evaluation of treatment regimens for this largely untreated subpopulation of patients.
