The CerebroMachinesTrain Doctoral Network (CMT-DN) seeks to go beyond the state-of-the-art of drug delivery systems by focusing on tiny machines (TMs) that can be engineered as stable formulation devices capable of: i) transporting the desired amount of therapeutic substance (drug) to a target area; ii) preserving its designed function under variable physiological parameters; iii) enhancing drug bioavailability; iv) preserving the healthy environment (cells, tissues, organs) with minimal to no side effects. These TMs will require innovative engineering designs to face the complex brain environment in which they must perform as a first organ testing platform.
CMT-DN aims to train and transform a young, talented generation of 14 researchers to PhD level and as future leaders in the state-of-the-art engineering of TMs and brain-on-chip devices (VRAINORG) for unravelling the mechanisms and improved treatment options underlying cerebrovascular pathologies. The engineered TMs will be designed to work and tested against VRAINORG platforms, which are 3D non-animal technologies of vascularised brain organoids (healthy and disease models) incorporated within microphysiological systems (MPs). This innovative training programme will bring together a panel of academic and industry experts in TMs biomimetic therapeutic systems and brain MPs comprising six academic and four industry partner beneficiaries, consolidated through three academic and three industry-associated partners covering nine countries across Europe and beyond, including one Aegean and one US associated partner. By employing these emerging non-animal technologies (i.e., vascularised brain-on-chip models), the resulting innovative therapeutic systems will benefit from facilitated clinical translation while reducing the high cost and time-consuming aspects of pre-clinical animal studies.
More information on project website: https://cmt-dn.eu
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