New approaches in nanomedicine for the targeted treatment of liver diseases

The Carl Zeiss Foundation is funding a joint research project between the universities of Mainz and Jena and their clinics for five years with a total of around six million euros. The aim of the "Nano@Liver" project is to use nanoparticles to specifically transport active substances into various liver cells. This should make liver diseases treatable and immune reactions in the liver easier to influence therapeutically.

With "Nano@Liver", the participating research groups want to use the unique properties of liver cells for innovative therapies and optimise the targeted transport of drugs in order to achieve a scientific breakthrough in nanomedicine and precise drug therapy. In the first transnational joint project between Mainz and Jena, nanoparticulate drug carriers are the focus of research, which are to be used for liver cell-specific therapies.

The project is being funded with around six million euros over the next five years as part of the Carl Zeiss Foundation's "Breakthroughs" programme. "One of the biggest problems in pharmacology is the inaccurate distribution of drugs in the body, which leads to unwanted side effects in other organs," declares Professor Stephan Grabbe, Director of the Department of Dermatology and Polyclinic at the Mainz University Medical Centre, who is leading the project together with Professor Ulrich S. Schubert, Director of the Jena Centre for Soft Matter (JCSM) at the University of Jena. He explains: "We can address this problem with nanoparticles by transporting active substances specifically into certain cells of the liver. This not only increases therapeutic efficiency, but also opens up new treatment options."

The paradox of precisely targeted nanoparticles

The liver is a particularly promising target organ for the use of nanoparticles, as it consists of very heterogeneous cell tissue and can, in principle, be easily targeted. However, despite promising approaches, it has been shown that only a small proportion of nanoparticles actually reach the desired target cells. The "Nano@Liver" project is therefore investigating how nanoparticles can be specially modified to specifically target different cell types in the liver. Such a cell-specific therapy would enable a more targeted treatment of liver diseases such as fibrosis, inflammation and even tumours and would also have the potential to exploit the immunoregulatory function of the liver.

In addition to the targeted release of active substances, the research team is also relying on artificial intelligence (AI). The researchers want to use AI models to precisely predict the distribution of nanoparticles in the body in order to further optimise the therapies. "Our AI-supported models are truly unique, as they allow us to accurately predict how nanoparticles act in healthy and diseased organisms," emphasise Stephan Grabbe and Ulrich S. Schubert.

Interdisciplinary and inter-university research

The interdisciplinary Mainz-Jena project team combines expertise from the fields of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Artificial Intelligence, Immunology and Medicine - very good requirements for deciphering and further developing the processes that are important for the targeted placement of nanoparticles. The collaboration between Mainz and Jena, supported by renowned institutions and research-related companies, creates a solid basis for achieving the ambitious goals of the project. As a result, the "Nano@Liver" project will not only promote scientific exchange between the locations, but the progress made in the project will also advance basic research and provide significant impetus for applied Medicine. "Through the project, we will further strengthen the strong tradition of nanomedicine and translational research at both sites. Our aim is to build a sustainable research alliance that sets standards worldwide," emphasise the two project leaders, Ulrich S. Schubert and Stephan Grabbe.