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The Foundation for Applied Medical Research (FIMA) is the owner and responsible body for the management of CIMA University of Navarra. The Foundation has its own legal status, is a non-profit organization and has as its social aim the promotion of initiatives which encourage basic clinical research in areas of health and biomedicine to contribute through technological advances and innovation to improving the results of research and the competitiveness of businesses.
Cima University of Navarra is a research center committed to excellence in translational research, based on novel biological knowledge and aimed at finding therapeutic solutions to patients' needs. It is the biomedical research center of the Universidad de Navarra. With academic status, they work on a non-profit basis to reinvest the surpluses in the progress of their research and to fulfill the mission of service to patients and society.
Background:
The Aptamer Group of Cima University of Navarra focuses its research on the generation of aptamers with the capacity to induce and potentiate the anti-tumor immune response. It has developed antagonist and agonist aptamers to modulate the function of a receptor, inhibiting or activating it according to therapeutic requirements. One of the most novel applications of this technology is the use of aptamers to deliver a cargo to a target cell in vivo; the nature of the cargo can range from an siRNA to another aptamer.
Aptamers are small single-stranded RNA or DNA molecules that acquire very complex secondary structures. They exhibit similar or higher affinities and specificities than monoclonal antibodies. The use of aptamers extends to the therapeutic and diagnostic field; in addition, they can be used as an efficient delivery system for small molecules. Several aptamers are currently in clinical trials; one of them has recently been approved by the FDA for use in macular degeneration.
Role in DESTINATION:
The Aptamer Group of Cima University of Navarra will be instrumental in the design, development and in vitro validation of cell-internalising aptamers, to enhance targeting specificity of RNano scaffolds.
Key personnel:
Dr. Fernando Pastor (PI), fpasrodri@unav.es
Dr. Eloy Robles (Project Manager), efrobles@unav.es
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