DZL scientist Prof. Olivia Merkel has received her fourth grant from the European Research Council (ERC). With this Proof of Concept Grant, she aims to test a new platform for nanocarriers delivering RNA-based therapeutics. The funding builds on her previous ERC Consolidator Grant project.<\/p>\n
Olivia Merkel is Professor of Drug Delivery in the Department of Pharmacy at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) at the DZL site CPC-M. Her research focuses, among other areas, on developing nano-based delivery systems that transport drugs to specific sites in the body. A key focus is on RNA therapeutics, which can silence genes involved in disease development in specific cell types or activate new genetic pathways. However, developing suitable nanocarriers remains a slow and costly process that often relies on trial and error. Results obtained in the laboratory can only be transferred to living organisms to a limited extent. In addition, therapeutic agents frequently accumulate primarily in the liver rather than reaching their intended target, such as the lungs.<\/p>\n
In the ALINA project (Active-Learning Inference for Nucleic Acid Delivery), Olivia Merkel combines machine learning with molecular dynamics. The platform aims to support the faster and more targeted development of lipid nanoparticles for RNA delivery while reducing the number of required experiments.<\/p>\n
In the long term, the team aims to establish an industry-oriented version of the platform. It is designed to demonstrate that potential therapeutics can be predicted more quickly and reliably than with current approaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cALINA has the potential to make the development of RNA therapeutics more precise and efficient and to facilitate their application in other organs as well,\u201d says Olivia Merkel. The approach could help overcome a major bottleneck in the field while also promoting the broader use of data-driven methods in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research.<\/p>\n
One area of application is the lung: In the RNhale project, Olivia Merkel is collaborating with DZL researcher Benjamin Winkeljann on a platform for RNA-based therapies for lung diseases. The project also aims to develop a technology that enables the precise delivery of RNAi molecules to the lung. Patients with severe asthma, in particular, could benefit from such a therapeutic approach.<\/p>\n