Project: Ferritin- nanocages for the anti-aging treatment based on curcuminoids

Acronym	CurcumAGE (Reference Number: JTC2018-037)
Duration	01/06/2019 - 31/12/2022
Project Topic	For the first time in history, the world population is rapidly becoming older. This trend is associated with a wide range of new social and clinical problems that pose significant challenges. Among them, the decline of cognitive function is particularly problematic as, in still not understood situations, it can degenerate in pathological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.Different studies consistently report that 20 to 30% of healthy elderly shows a significant amyloid (Aß) deposition with a reported relationship between Aß deposition and measures of cognitive decline. Curcumin was demonstrated, by in vitro studies, to reduce the natural predisposition of Aß to accumulate by enhancing its clearance by the immune system. Clinical trials however did not provide clear evidence of its protective effects. The problem is that curcumin is almost insoluble in water, poorly adsorbed by the organism and rapidly degraded. In this context the use of nanoformulation aimed at improving the pharmacokinetics properties of curcumin will provide substantial benefits.In CurcumAGE we intend to develop H Ferritin nanocages (HFn) as delivery systems for Curcumin (and for three other more active curcuminoids) to improve their solubility and to allow their delivery to the central nervous system. These nanodrugs will lead to an agent able to prevent the cognitive decline associated with aging by reducing the accumulation of amyloid. HFn is the ideal vector for this task; it combines appealing features such as uniform architecture and negligible immunogenicity, with the ability to cross the cross the Blood-Brain Barrier.To test the anti-aging properties of the nanodrugs we will make use of a wide range of tool available in the consortium such as primary cell cultures, transcriptomics analysis, telomeres length analysis and an animal model of aging. We expect CurcumAGE to have a major impact on general health as it will help in slowing down the global emergency of dementia.
Network	EuroNanoMed III
Call	Joint Transnational Call (2018)

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Istituti Clinico Scientifici Maugeri S.p.A. Società Benefit	Coordinator	Italy
2	National Neurological Institute C. Mondino	Partner	Italy
3	University of Crete	Partner	Greece
4	University of Tartu	Partner	Estonia
5	Human Biomolecular Research Institute	Partner	United States