Nanotechnology-enabled deep profiling of the blood and brain proteome at the intersection of neurodegeneration and neurooncology

Introduction

NanoNeuroOmics ambition is to bring together nanotechnology, proteomics, and blood biomarker discovery at the emerging intersection of neurodegeneration and neurooncology.

Objectives

NanoNeuroOmics proposes a nanotechnology-based innovative solution for the integrative profiling of the blood and brain tissue proteomes to address two interconnected challenges:

1. The unmet clinical need for early diagnostic and disease-monitoring blood biomarkers for two of the most challenging Central Nervous System disorders, namely Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Glioblastoma (GBM).
2. The AD-GBM ‘inverse comorbidity’ knowledge gap and intriguing molecular interrelation.

Methodology

NanoNeuroOmics presents a novel approach, in which nanoparticles are employed as scavenging agents to uncover brain disease-specific protein markers in blood, otherwise buried under the overwhelming signal of highly abundant molecules.

The project aims to tackle the technological challenge of discovering highly specific blood biomarkers by longitudinally tracking blood and brain proteomic signals at different stages of disease progression.

Research Program

To leverage its full potential, the proposed research programme combines longitudinal preclinical studies with human patient clinical validation studies. Such multi-dimensional proteomic approaches are expected to pioneer new blood biomarker discoveries and to provide mechanistic insight into the comorbidity of neurological diseases.

Expected Outcomes

NanoNeuroOmics attempts to discover a distinct set of dysregulated proteins for each of AD and GBM independently and to unveil overlapping molecular pathways to explain the AD-GBM inverse comorbidity.

In a broader context, NanoNeuroOmics aspires to bridge the gap between brain pathophysiology and molecular alterations in the blood, across the biological continuum of disease progression.

Approach

The project takes on a multidisciplinary approach and builds on breakthroughs in nanotechnology and omics sciences to advance early detection and stratified medicine.