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Description
Hearing impairment can be caused by different factors which induce an irreversible hearing loss. Several administration routes for the inner ear treatment are possible, but injection through the tympan directly into the inner ear can bypass the blood labyrinth barrier and lead to higher drug concentration in the inner ear fluids. Unfortunately, large amounts of drugs are eliminated by the internal components of the inner ear. The main objective of this project is the preparation of drug-loaded systems with very low sizes capable of dual active targeting: (i) under the action of a magnetic external field, and (ii) internalizing in the inner ear specific cells. Specific objectives of the project are: (i) Synthesis of both natural polymer with a low molecular weight and magnetic nanoparticles, modification of the natural polymer with some peptides; (ii) Preparation of vesicles from fats which are protected at the exterior by a layer of natural polymer; the same natural polymer will be used for the preparation of other type of vesicles with magnetic nanoparticles included in their core; (iii) In vitro testing of these vesicles. The obtained results will be disseminated in 6 ISI articles, 12 participations at international conferences and 4 bilateral workshops. The project intends not only to achieve scientific results but also to allow the development of a technology capable of producing drug delivery systems for hear deficiency at a large scale and accessible at a reasonable cost. The results are of a great interest to the medical doctors and to patients as a viable alternative for the treatment of the hearing deficiency. Moreover, we anticipate that these results will contribute to the development of the biotechnology field and will have an important practical potential as the elaborated technology will be able to be translated to a pilot and even industrial level. This project will enhance the scientific visibility of the three partners at European level.