Tailored release of large molecule drugs to reduce inflammation in the damaged areas of the infant brain

Program Type (Grant): Innovation Grant
Applicant Name: Unsworth, Larry
Competition Cycle: 2019-03
Start Date: 2019-10-01
End Date: 2021-09-30
Institutional Sponsor: Engineering-Chemical and Materials Engineering
WCHRI Funder: SCHF
Total WCHRI Funding Commitment: $50,000.00

Brain injury in newborns is responsible for many neurological impairments, which are classified as cerebral palsy (CP) and accounts for 27% of all childhood disability. A significant unmet need exists for developing novel, safe and effective therapies to prevent perinatal brain injury. There are currently no specific therapies that address the issue of perinatal brain injury. At the outside, a 20 minute window exists following the interruption of blood flow, where living, but in-danger, brain tissue will die if no treatment is applied. Targeted treatment to these injured, but not dead cells, could dramatically improve outcomes of surviving children. We want to develop drug carriers that allow for the safe release of drugs that are targeted to the earliest signs of the brain being in distress. With this tool, we will then be able to screen multiple drugs for understanding their effect on the treatment of the brain.