Cupido Project

The EU-funded project CUPIDO, started in February 2017, open rooms on an innovative solution by capitalizing on lung-heart anatomical proximity combined with nanotechnology assets. Nanoparticles are small enough to be inhaled, designable for tissue interaction and adaptable to carry drugs. Exploiting this mode of administration can revolutionize CVD treatment, becoming the first non-invasive and heart-specific therapeutic option. Precisely, the Cupido consortium aims to raise the challenge to develop inhalable and safe nanoparticles that can deliver as simple as by breathing, a therapeutic directly to the diseased heart. For this purpose, biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticles that can self-assemble and encapsulate drugs (novel or available) are been developed. The nanoparticles, once inhaled, will translocate through the lungs and fast reach the heart, where the drugs will be finally released on the site needed for their action. Already partly demonstrated in pilot studies, the efficient heart delivery will be enhanced thanks to chemical and magnetic guidance, thus lowering the required amounts of the therapeutic compound. The EU-based consortium, composed of 6 academic research groups, 5 SMEs, 2 industries, and 1 pharmaceutical company, gathers a complementary array of expertise and joins cutting-edge research with pre-clinical experience and industrial manufacturing. The 4-year project, funded with 6M € under the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, aims to proof the preclinical feasibility of nanotherapy, preparing the way for future clinical trials.