Development of a nanoparticle to release nucleic acids in a mitochondrial environment

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K12532
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biomaterial science and engineering
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: YAMADA Yuma 北海道大学, 薬学研究院, 准教授 (60451431)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): HYODO Mamoru 愛知工業大学, 工学部, 講師 (30548186)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 薬物送達システム / ミトコンドリア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It was recently reported that mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) form the basis of mitochondria (Mt) related diseases. Therefore, the delivery of nucleic acids targeting mutant mtDNA would be expected to be an innovative therapeutic strategy for such diseases. To date, we developed a MITO-Porter, a nano carrier for mitochondrial delivery. The aim of this study is to develop a nanoparticle that can release nucleic acids in response to the Mt environment following its delivery to the Mt. In this study, we evaluated nanoparticles with various Mt environment responsive peptides, and we succeeded in constructing a nanoparticle that was capable of releasing nucleic acids in response to conditions that mimic the Mt environment. In addition, we confirmed successful regulation of the mitochondrial gene expression by transfection of nanoparticles using the MITO-Porter. Our findings can contribute to development nanomedicine for mitochondrial gene therapy.

Free Research Field

薬物送達学