Last week, on 20 March, the GENEGUT consortium had the privilege of hosting a seminar with Dr. Driton Vllasaliu from King’s College London, who presented groundbreaking research on engineered milk extracellular vesicles for oral delivery of RNA. This seminar was a unique opportunity to engage in insightful discussions around drug delivery systems to transform our approach to disease treatment.
Key Highlights from the Seminar
Dr. Vllasaliu’s talk focused on the unique stability and transport properties of Milk Extracellular Vesicles (mEVs), making them highly promising for oral drug delivery:
- Resilience in the Gut – Milk Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) have unique properties as they maintain stability in the gut and are transported across the intestinal epithelium.
- Proven Transport in Human Models – mEVs show intestinal epithelial transport in a physiological model of the human intestine, namely human tissue-derived intestinal organoids.
- The Challenge of Drug Loading – Loading mEVs (or any other EVs) with macromolecules is currently a major challenge. EV drug loading methods should not compromise the biology of EVs and hence their delivery potential.
- mEV-LNP Hybrids for RNA Delivery – Hybrids of mEVs and LNPs/Liposomes show promising potential for oral delivery of different types of RNAs.
A Milestone for GENEGUT
This seminar was a significant moment for the GENEGUT consortium, aligning with its mission to develop a first-of-its-kind, game-changing treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The discussion reinforced the importance of leveraging cutting-edge science to enhance drug delivery methods, ensuring treatments are both effective and accessible.
A special thank you to Dr. Driton Vllasaliu for sharing his expertise and to all attendees for their valuable engagement. This session was an important step in advancing our collective understanding and shaping the future of IBD treatment.
Stay tuned for more updates as GENEGUT continues its work in transforming patient care through innovation! More insightful GENEGUT seminars are on the way!
UK participants in Horizon Europe Project GENEGUT are supported by UKRI grant number 10042451 (Bangor University).