Home > Press > VUB team develops breakthrough nanobody technology against liver inflammation
 |
Abstract:
“During a previous research project financed by an ERC Starting Grant, my team discovered that a specific type of molecule, pannexins, played an important role in certain inflammatory diseases,” says Vinken. “Pannexins are tube-like molecules found in the cell membrane. In a healthy state, these tubes are closed, but when diseased, they open, allowing substances through, leading to inflammation and eventually cell death. By using nanobodies, the opening of these pannexin tubes is suppressed, interrupting the inflammatory reaction.”
VUB team develops breakthrough nanobody technology against liver inflammation
Brussels, Belgium | Posted on December 8th, 2023Vinken received additional funding, an ERC Proof of Concept and an FWO research grant, to develop this nanobody technology. For this, he is working with Professor Nick Devoogdt and postdoc Timo De Groof from the Molecular Imaging and Therapy research group at VUB. Devoogdt and De Groof specialise in creating and visualising nanobodies.
“VUB has a long tradition of research into nanobodies,” says Devoogdt. “This tradition began with Professor Raymond Hamers. In 1989, with his wife, Cécile Casterman, and Serge Muyldermans, he discovered that camel blood contained a smaller sort of antibody. The discovery led to several spin-offs and various innovative therapeutic techniques. Through the work of Mathieu Vinken, we have discovered another promising research direction. Specifically, we have been able to show that nanobody technology works much better in the event of paracetamol overdose than the current remedy using acetylcysteine.”
“Nanobodies close pannexins with unprecedented efficiency,” says Vinken. Until now, research has been conducted in vitro and on a mouse model. In the next step, a clinical study will investigate possible side effects. The potential of pannexin-specific nanobodies to treat more complex disease states in combination with other agents will eventually be investigated. The findings were published on 11 October in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology. The team has also filed a patent application with a view to further (commercial) development of the technology and attracting investors or business partners for collaboration.
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Sam Jaspers
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Copyright © Vrije Universiteit Brussel
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
| Related Links |
| Related News Press |
News and information
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025
A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025
Possible Futures
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers several steps closer to harnessing patient's own T-cells to fight off cancer June 6th, 2025
Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025
Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025
A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025
Nanomedicine
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers several steps closer to harnessing patient's own T-cells to fight off cancer June 6th, 2025
Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Self-propelled protein-based nanomotors for enhanced cancer therapy by inducing ferroptosis June 6th, 2025
Discoveries
Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025
Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025
Announcements
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025
A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025
A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025
Nanobiotechnology
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers several steps closer to harnessing patient's own T-cells to fight off cancer June 6th, 2025
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Self-propelled protein-based nanomotors for enhanced cancer therapy by inducing ferroptosis June 6th, 2025
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||