This $236,833 federal Project Grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) aims to develop and test novel "nanobody" therapeutic candidates that can disrupt harmful protein interactions inside smooth muscle cells to prevent pathological proliferation and cardiovascular disease progression.
The research at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) will focus on designing, characterizing, and validating the function of these intracellular-targeting nanobodies, which are derived from camelid antibodies, in in vitro and in vivo models of vascular injury and neointima formation. The goal is to establish proof-of-concept for a new therapeutic approach that can more selectively target the molecular drivers of abnormal cell proliferation compared to current non-specific treatments. Successful development of these nanobody prototypes would address critical gaps in the repair and regeneration of vascular disease states.
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