We are pleased to announce that the Kick-off meeting for the M.ERA-Net project “ROS-scavenging magnetic nanozymes with remote activation for Alzheimer disease” - ROSSCA (R&D&I) took place in Zaragoza, Spain, from the 14th to the 15th of October 2024.

Hosted by the project coordinator, Prof. Gerardo F. Goya Rossetti from the University of Zaragoza and the Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute (INMA-CSIC), this meeting marked the official start of an exciting three-year collaboration. The ROSSCA project, with a total budget of €997,643, aims to develop innovative magnetically activatable nano-enzymes for therapeutic applications, particularly targeting Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the leading causes of dementia worldwide, with a complex and still not fully understood aetiology. Two major pathological hallmarks of AD are the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Ab) plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau protein in the brain, which contribute to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), exacerbating neurodegeneration. The ROSSCA project seeks to address these challenges by developing a new therapeutic strategy that not only targets these Ab and tau deposits but also restores the activity of antioxidant enzymes, helping to maintain the redox balance in the brains of AD patients.

The project will develop an innovative platform of nanozymes that act as neuroprotective agents, with the potential to be tested in preclinical trials for AD treatment. This ambitious goal is supported by the combined expertise of the project’s international consortium, which includes research groups led by Bojana Zegura from the National Institute of Biology (Slovenia), Vanessa de Jesus Rodrigues from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), and Anna Haduch from the Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland). Together, these researcher groups bring complementary expertise in nanomaterials, toxicology, cellular models of neurodegeneration, biochemistry of Alzheimer's-related proteins, and behavioural models of neurodegenerative diseases.

The ROSSCA project is designed to advance both fundamental and applied research in neurodegenerative therapeutics and benefits from an interdisciplinary advisory board, which will further enhance its scientific and societal impact.

The Slovenian part of the project is funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Slovenia.

Webpage: 

• http://ope.unizar.es/en/rossca
  
• https://www.rossca.net/