Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Specific strategies to target amyloidogenesis through natural compound-based nano formulations |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Karunakar Kar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi |
Timeline Start Year : | 2024 |
Timeline End Year : | 2027 |
Contact info : | karunakarkar@gmail.com |
Equipments : | Biosafety cabinets (BSCs), class II, Type B2
CO2 incubator for cell culture |
Details
Executive Summary : | The conversion of soluble proteins and peptides into insoluble cytotoxic amyloids is linked to various disorders, including neurodegenerative and non-neuronal complications. Amyloid formation is a significant issue in recombinant synthesis and protein therapeutic agent formulation. Designing multipotential formulations capable of preventing amyloid aggregation and solubilizing preformed toxic amyloids is crucial for the treatment and prevention of amyloid-linked complications. Two key strategies for anti-amyloid drug discovery are targeting the initial conformational alterations that initiate amyloid formation and promoting the disassembly of pre-formed amyloid structures into soluble non-toxic species. This project aims to synthesize metallic nanoparticles coated with selected natural compounds and short-amyloid-interfering peptides to target the initiation of amyloid formation. The structural and biophysical characterization, thermostability, and biocompatibility of these nanoformulations will be examined. The inhibitory effect against self-assembly, seed-induced aggregation, and co-aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins will be investigated under in vitro and cell culture environments. The study will also explore the effect of natural compounds functionalized nanoparticles on the disassembly of pre-formed cytotoxic amyloids, focusing on optimizing amyloid-disassembly into non-toxic soluble protein monomers. Cell-based assays will be employed to study the protective roles of anti-amyloid nanoformulations and their mechanism of action in targeting amyloid-induced cellular and molecular events. The findings could inspire the development of biocompatible natural compound-based nanoformulations to efficiently target amyloid-related complications. |
Total Budget (INR): | 47,50,823 |
Organizations involved