NANOTRAP

Engineering Nanocapsules for Neuronal Detoxification in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide after Alzheimer’s disease and is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. A key factor contributing to this neurodegeneration is the accumulation of toxic metabolites, resulting from impaired activity of cellular detoxification enzymes. These enzymes can be inhibited by environmental factors such as pesticides, which partly explains the increasing incidence of Parkinson’s disease globally. In fact, the disease is now recognized in France as an occupational illness among farmers. Despite its growing impact, no current therapeutic strategy specifically targets neuronal detoxification to slow or halt disease progression. The NANOTRAP project aims to address this unmet need by developing an innovative nanomedicine approach based on polymer nanocapsules capable of mimicking the function of deficient detoxification enzymes. This strategy relies on the encapsulation of active enzymes within polymer vesicles, known as polymersomes, to convert toxic metabolites into non-toxic compounds. The project will focus on evaluating the detoxification efficiency of these “nanocatalysts” in human 3D cellular models that replicate the key pathophysiological features of Parkinson’s disease. These advanced models, based on human-derived cells, will provide a physiologically relevant platform to assess both efficacy and safety. NANOTRAP is built on the complementary expertise of 3 researchers from the University of Bordeaux, combining advanced polymer chemistry, nanocatalyst design, and cutting-edge neurobiological models. Positioned at the interface of chemistry, cell biology, and neuroscience, this project proposes a paradigm shift in nanomedicine: instead of using nanocarriers for conventional drug delivery, it aims to develop a novel detoxification system to actively prevent neurodegeneration.

Collaborators : Clémentine Bosch-Bouju & Charlotte Madore-Delpech, NutriNeuro 

Fundings : RIE, Université de Bordeaux