Summary

This project aims to collect samples at the South Shetland Trough (SST) near the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the few cryogenic deep-sea trenches in the world.
The specific aims of PharmaDeep are to:
(a) Collect marine organisms from deep-and-cold-water habitats that may be unique sources of natural products for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.
(b) Perform the first marine biological survey of the unique habitat, the SST.
(c) Compare and contrast the SST fauna and drivers of distribution with other trench ecosystems.
(d) Investigate the interaction of physical and chemical extremes of relevance to understanding the habitability of other planetary bodies.

What we do

SZN will be mainly involved in Zooplankton and Phytoplankton sample collection for taxonomy identification, activity screening investigation and later chemical analysis.

Partners

SZN, IBP-CNR, University of Aberdeen, Universitat de Barcelona, Insituto Español de Oceanografía, BioBridge, University of Chile, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Edinburgh University

Research Area

Marine Biotechnology

SZN role

Partner

Principal Investigator

Adrianna Ianora

Project Manager

Alan Jamieson

Project Lifetime

October 2015 - June 2016

Funding Institutions

European Commission, under the EU EUROFLEETS2 program grant agreement n° 312762

Personnel involved

Adrianna Ianora, Principal investigator
Chiara Lauritano, Post-doc
Christian Galasso, PhD Student

PON01_02782 New nanotechnological strategies for the development of drugs and diagnostic tools directed to circulating cancer cells (CTC)

Leader

Biogem S.c.a r.l.

Duration

36 months

Keywords

CTC, antitumor, microalgae

ERC sectors

LS7_3, LS9_9

Summary of the project

The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the blood is associated with an advanced stage of the disease and reduce survival of cancer patients. Knowledge of the characteristics of the CTC is therefore of fundamental importance for many applications of clinical interest. This project is aimed to isolate CTC from the blood of patients suffering from epithelial and haematological tumors, to develop protocols for the ex-vivo expansion of these cells and to perform a complete molecular characterization in order to clearly define the mutational and transcriptional profiles. This project aims to develop diagnostic kits as well as to identify new molecular targets that may be the target of innovative therapeutic tools for the treatment of these tumors. The project also includes a phase which will identify molecules with anti-tumor activity against CTC, by screening libraries of compounds, substances and natural peptides including natural products arising from innovative sources such as marine microalgae.

Descriptions of activities

The project activities are divided into six objectives (OR).
O.R. 1 Development of nanotechnological devices for the isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTC)
OR2 Molecular characterization of CTC: identification of molecular targets
OR3 Molecular characterization of CTC: development of advanced diagnostic tools
OR4 Development of mouse models for the characterization of CTC
O.R. 5 Development of new technological procedures for targeting and CTC for the optimization of
delivery of drugs and / or molecules with antitumor activity
O.R. 6 Molecular Targeting of CTC
The Zoological Station is involved in the following activities:
Activity 6.2 Identification of molecules of natural and / or synthetic origin with possible biological activity on CTC cells.
The main objective of this activity is to provide extracts and fractions from marine cultivable microalgae with anti-tumor properties, and to isolate and characterize these compounds through a screening system based on biological assays of the fractions obtained from crude extracts. Finally we plan to optimize the production of bioactive compounds of interest through cultivation on a large scale of the producer microorganism(s).

Expected Results

Identification of at least one small molecule with antitumor activity on CTC cells.

Time chart

Tab 1 Costs

Tab 2 Personnel SZN

Summary

The PharmaSea project focuses on marine biodiscovery research, development and commercialization and brings together a broad interdisciplinary team of academic and industry researchers and specialists to produce new products for development in three accessible market sectors, health (infection, inflammation, CNS diseases), personal care and nutrition. Despite the enormous potential of blue biotechnology, the exploitation of marine natural products, in particular at the commercial scale, has been hindered by a number of constraints. These concern the access of organisms (physical and legal), their genetics, bioactive compound isolation, elucidation of chemical structures and reliable early validation of the biological activity of these compounds. PharmaSea directly aims to overcome some of these bottlenecks leading to improvements in the quality of marine resources available for biotechnological exploitation, to shorten time to market, and develop sustainable modes of supply of raw materials for industry. Within the project a wide variety of marine microorganisms will be analyzed, including collections held by some partners and new collections of strains collected in extreme environmental conditions (deep, hot and cold) in order to isolate new compounds with characteristics appropriate for development by SMEs. The overall objective of PharmaSea is to produce two compounds at large-scale and promote them in pre-clinic evaluations.

What we do

SZN is involved in WP1 and WP2 of this project. SZN objectives are to select and isolate microalgae with potential pharmaceutical activity (e.g. antimitotic, anti-bacterial or for neurodegenerative diseases), and to develop innovative technologies for cell growth in order to increase the production of specific secondary metabolites. Often canonical growth conditions do not allow the activation of specific metabolic pathways. Therefore it is necessary to experiment with new growth conditions in order to obtain a greater concentration of the desired product. Moreover, the aim of the SZN is, also, to scale-up the production of selected strains using 100L photobioreactors  under controlled conditions. Molecular techniques are also being used to identify species and to study the transcriptomes of microalgal strains that show biological activity.

Partners

SZN, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, The University Court of the University of Aberdeen, MarBio, eCoast, Biodridge, MEDINA, University college Cork, BIOCOM, CNR, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, The Royal society of chemistry, C-LECTA GMBH, Denmarks Tekniske Universitet, DEEPTEK, Advanced chemistry development UK, Wuhan University, Institute of Microbiology Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Instituto de Dinamica Celular y Biotecnologia, Asociacion Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Union Internationale pour la conservation de la nature et de ses ressources, University of Waikato, SeaLifePharma.

Research Area

Marine Biotechnology

SZN role

Partner

Principal Investigator

Adrianna Ianora

Project Manager

Peter de Witte

Project Lifetime

October 2012 - October 2016

Funding Institutions

European Commission, under the 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement n° 312184)

Personnel involved

Adrianna Ianora, Principal investigator
Giovanna Romano, Experienced Researcher
Francesco Esposito, Technologist
Chiara Lauritano, Post-doc

PON01_00117 Antigens and Adjuvants for Vaccines and Immunotherapy

Leader

Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics Ltd.

Duration

36 months

Keywords

Biotechnology, human health, microalgae

ERC sectors

LS7_3, LS6_11, LS7_9

Summary of the project

The therapeutic benefits of a stimulation of the innate immune system are well documented. Many substances of natural origin, including some lipidic or glycolipidic molecules are able to stimulate various cellular components of the innate immune system. Therefore metabolites of low molecular weight or lipid components of extracts of marine eukaryotic microorganisms may have activating properties of the innate immune cells and act as adjuvants or immune-modulators.
The innovative approach proposed in this project is based on a public-private partnership and belongs mainly to Areas of Convergence (Sicily, Calabria and Campania).
The project aims to achieve three important goals: 1. The development of innovative vaccines for bacterial and viral infections 2. The development of new molecules with adjuvant action and the study of the mechanism of action of those already known 3. The development of more effective and safe new viral vectors for the development of new vaccines.
The role of the Zoological Station in the project is to identify and cultivate species of marine microalgae that show potential antigen and adjuvant activities.

Descriptinos of the activity

The project involves 3 objectives:
OR 1. Identification of antigenic candidates for the development of potential vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli pathogens, HCMV
OR 2. Identification of new adjuvants and analysis of the mechanism of action of known adjuvants
OR 3. Identification and validation of new Adenovirus and MVA vectors and Virus Like Particles for use as potential vaccines against infectious diseases (HCMV, Malaria, Influenza, RSV, etc.)
 The Zoological Station participates in activity 2.1
Activity 2.1. Identification of novel natural compounds with immune-modulatory and adjuvant activity from marine microalgae
and in particular in:
RI 2.1.1. Preparation of extracts and fractions from microalgae, isolation and identification of substances with immune-regulatory properties (Stazione Zoologica).
Extracts of marine organisms have already been shown to contain immune-regulatory substances (eg alpha galoctoside ceramide that can stimulate NKT cells) and lipids other than those present in humans. This project aims not only to identify new molecules able to interact with the immune system, but also to identify compounds for therapeutic formulations, for example compounds as adjuvants for vaccines. To this end, the group of dr. Ianora is preparing pellets of microalgae for the isolation and identification of substances with potentially immune-regulatory activity. The fractions are assayed by industrial partners (Novartis) for their ability to activate various cells and receptors of the innate immune system. The study will be performed in collaboration with IBB-CNR (SZN sub-contractor) who will characterize the various active components through the use of NMR techniques.

Time chart

Expected results

To obtain at least one new natural compound from marine microalgae with immuno-stimulatory or adjuvant activity.

Tab 1 Costs

Tab 2 Personnel SZN