Remote control healing: Next generation mechano-nano-therapeutics

Imagine if doctors could heal patients via remote control. Following simple injections into regions of the body, they could activate internal cells by an external bandage. In this way, they could remotely control the ways tissue heal. This Advanced grant sets out to understand, design and develop the mechano-nano-magnetic platform that will underpin this therapeutic strategy for the future – DYNACEUTICS. Key receptors have been identified such as ion channels, integrins and growth factors which respond to mechanical cues on the membrane and activate downstream pathways. How do we ‘bottle’ an agonist like a drug which can influence or regulate mechano-sensors on the membrane and can be controlled remotely? This project tackles this complex interdisciplinary question through breakthrough nanotechnologies. We aim to expand and develop a platform technology using magnetic particle tagging which will allow us to direct cells for therapeutic purposes. Specifically, we aim • to identify mechano-receptor binding sites on stem and mature cells which will enable remote activation of signalling pathways via magnetic fields, • to design and test magnetic particles with tailored tagging strategies using single cell through 3D human organoid models to in vivo disease models, • to tailor and design external remote control devices • to create clinically relevant treatment modalities for remote control healing. This proposal presents a unique opportunity to launch a new dynamic treatment platform, DYNACEUTICS, which we propose will extend the therapeutic horizon and provide a new form of remote controlled healing.