Active Heart, Stroke & Blood Cells, Biochemistry & Physiology

Development of mitochondria-targeted nanomedicines for cardiovascular applications

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Recipient organisation King's College London
Funding £287K
Period Feb 2025 — Feb 2027

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

After a heart attack, the moment blood flow is restored can actually trigger further damage to heart tissue, driven by toxic molecules released from the cells’ energy factories—the mitochondria. This project tackles that hidden second injury, called ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. It is already known that delivering nitric oxide (NO) at the right moment can reduce this damage, but getting NO to the right place inside cells has been impractical. The researcher plans to build a new type of nanoparticle—a graphene oxide sheet loaded with NO and designed to home in on mitochondria. The particle would release its payload only when it encounters the oxidative stress of reperfusion, precisely where and when it is needed. If successful, this proof-of-principle work could lay the foundation for a new class of mitochondria-targeted therapies. The immediate impact would be a clearer path toward treatments that limit heart muscle damage after a heart attack, potentially improving survival and recovery. Because the same mitochondrial dysfunction occurs in other organs, the approach could eventually extend beyond the heart to conditions such as stroke or kidney injury. For now, the work remains at the fundamental science stage, generating the data needed to secure independent funding and build a research group.

View original technical description
My vision for this award is to set the research agenda for the nascent but expanding field of mitochondria-targeted nanomedicines. This award will be used to generate proof-of-principle data and to strengthen my profile, thereby facilitating a transition towards my own independent multidisciplinary research group. The technology developed herein will be relevant across therapeutic fields, but this proposal will focus on preventing myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury to improve outcomes following a heart attack. I/R injury is initiated by the mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species. It is already established that nitric oxide (NO) delivered at the point of reperfusion reduces injury, but achieving this in practice is difficult. This project will synergistically build on my current work on NO- releasing graphene, specifically, it will (1) develop novel mitochondria- targeted, redox-responsive, NO-releasing graphene oxide (mitoNOGO); (2) demonstrate mitochondrial uptake of mitoNOGO; (3) generate proof-of-principle evidence of protection against I/R injury using in vitro and ex vivo models; and (4) build up my track-record to secure further research funding and progress towards academic independence. This project seeks to explore the synergy between engineering and cardiovascular biology. Ultimately, the knowledge generated could lead to future development of mitochondria-targeted therapeutics for the heart and other organs.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Tanveer Tabish (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Targeting mitochondrial metabolic and redox status to treat ischaemia/reperfusion injury
Nitric oxide-releasing nanoporous graphene (NORG) for cardiovascular applications
Molecular determinants of cardiolipin signalling in mitochondria
Myocardial energetics in ischaemia and heart failure – exploring translational potential (renewal years 14-18)
Integrated experimental and computational research tools for the study of acute ischaemic effects on cardiac mechano-electrical interactions

Original classification

Wellcome Accelerator Awards

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.