Innovative nanotechnological RNA delivery systems targeting the direct cause of Alzheimer‘s disease instead of its symptoms

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s affect over 7 million people in Europe. Despite this fact, few treatments for this group of diseases are available so far. Nanomedical approaches can make a difference, providing new therapeutic options by helping drugs to enter the brain.

Therefore, the multinational research project B-SMART sets out to provide an RNA-based therapy perspective for neurodegenerative diseases targeting the direct cause of the disease instead of its symptoms in the midterm.

"Transferring RNA therapeutics to the brain crossing the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier is a unique research endeavor. Finding a novel gateway to transport RNA to the brain will enable the development of causal therapies not only for Alzheimer’s, but for other diseases as well." Prof. Raymond Schiffelers (UMCU), Coordinator of B-SMART