DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE TARGETED LIPOSOMAL FORMULATIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFLAMMATORY DRIVEN PULMONARY FIBROSIS

The study aims to develop an innovative nano-platform for the treatment of lung fibrogenic disorders (LFD). The approach involves local delivery by inhalation of drug-loaded liposomes, coated with hyaluronic acid (HA) to directly target CD44+ pathogenic cells. We aim to expand and develop the formulation "XHALIP¿ (patent pending) by the following steps: 1) Characterization of safety and bioavailability in healthy and lung fibrogenic disorders (LFD) mice; 2) Evaluation of the pharmacokinetics and uptake by human LFD fibroblasts and macrophages and on healthy/LFD mice; 3) testing of antifibrotic/-inflammatory activities of the most promising XHALIP on mouse LFD models and translational studies on lung cells/tissues from LFD patients AIM 1: XHALIP characterization and bio-nano interaction AIM 2: Organ and cell lung Targeting AIM 3: Efficacy assessment in lung fibrosis models