UPGRADE (Unlocking Precision Gene Therapy) is a Collaborative project funded for 5 years (2019-2024) funded by the H2020 Programme of the European Union.
The overall goal of UPGRADE is to overcome current limitations of gene therapy strategies, improving the safety, efficiency, genome precision and in vivo delivery of advanced medicinal products (AMPs) based on genome editing and targeting technologies.
It involves 8 partners from 7 Countries, including a non-EU partner (from USA). A panel of independent scientists from the Scientific Advisory Board will provide strategic guidance and support the partnership to ensure that the project’s results meet the objectives.
UPGRADE main objectives are to: i) improve efficiency and safety of novel and emerging genome and epigenome editing technologies; ii) precisely assess and enhance specificity of genome editing; iii) tailor delivery of the novel genome editing technologies for in vivo application; iv) characterize and circumvent the immunogenicity of the AMPs; v) translate these novel AMPs into novel treatment paradigms applicable to diseases affecting large patient populations; vi) successfully manage, disseminate and exploit the results obtained by the consortium.
Overall, the outcome of UPGRADE will be novel AMPs stringently validated in preclinical disease models and enabling knowledge to set the stage for their prompt translation into gene therapy trials for diseases affecting large patient populations.
UPGRADE will address the main challenges in developing advanced therapies using innovative technologies, developing radical new solutions to the hurdles that currently limit broad, fostering the competitiveness of EU pharmaceutical companies, deepening the understanding of the basic biological mechanisms underlying DNA damage response and repair, epigenetic regulation and immune sensing of exogenous components and making tangible improvements with a durable impact on the development of novel therapeutics across Europe.
UPGRADE objectives will be achieved through the activities carried out within ten operational workpackages, besides the management and ethics ones: Novel strategies to increase precision and efficacy of gene and epigenetic editing (WP1), Retargeting gene/vector integration (WP2), Genome-wide off-target profiling of gene-editing reagents (WP3), Viral and non-viral mediated delivery of genes and genome engineering components (WP4), Increase immune evasion of genome engineering components (WP5), Advanced genetic engineering of hematopoiesis (WP6), Novel strategies to target skeletal and cardiac muscle wasting in aging and disease conditions (WP7), Retinal degeneration (WP8), Expanding the breadth of liver directed gene therapy to include larger patient populations (WP9), Communication, stakeholders engagement, dissemination and exploitation (WP11).
UPGRADE Details
Full project title: Unlocking Precision Gene Therapy
Grant Agreement number: 825825
H2020 Call: Better Health and care, economic growth and sustainable health systems
Topic: Innovation platforms for advanced therapies of the future
Duration: 1st January 2019 to 31st December 2023
Number of project partners: 8
Project Coordinator: Luigi Naldini