UIC Barcelona has been awarded dual funding in grant applications for the project “Protein-based nanoparticles for nose-to-brain delivery to treat obesity”, led by Rosalía Rodríguez, through the call for Knowledge Industry (IdC) grants awarded by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR).

Specifically, the project has received funding worth €150,000 in the Producte category, and €84,000 in the Innovadors category, adding up to total funding worth €234,000.

Given the high prevalence of obesity in the population, it is very important to have solutions that can prevent and treat it, and therefore contribute to improving the health and quality of life of adults and young people. As a result, the research group led by Rosalía Rodríguez, in collaboration with IBB researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, has developed an innovative protein nanoplatform that can control energy intake and expenditure from the brain.

As the researcher explains, “most drugs are administered orally or intravenously, and the blood-brain barrier blocks access the brain. Based on technology developed by colleagues at the UAB, we have designed a nanoplatform made up entirely of proteins with nose-to-brain delivery. This means it can gain direct access to the brain and reduce the need to eat, and therefore contribute to reducing obesity”, explains Rosalía Rodríguez.

“The funds received in the recent call for Knowledge Industry grants will allow us to keep working on project we started thanks to the funding received in the Llavor category of the previous grant application process”, Rodríguez added.

The Knowledge Industry programme, which is run by the Department for Research and Universities at the Generalitat de Catalunya, distinguishes between the Llavor category, for innovative projects with the potential to be incorporated in the productive sector; the Producte category, aimed at prototype production and the valorisation and transfer of research results generated by research teams in Catalonia; and the Innovadors category, for projects aimed at the valorisation and transfer of knowledge developed by innovators during time spent at Catalan research and innovation centres.

As part of the funding application process, UIC Barcelona has been awarded total funding worth €554,500 thanks to seven projects run by various research groups at the university. In total, UIC Barcelona has around 100 competitive projects underway.