10171192Engineering cells for medicines delivery: enhancing efficiency and testing therapeutic potentialClosedFast Start ResponseInnovate UKThe ability to deliver genetic medicines precisely to diseased tissues remains one of the most pressing challenges in modern biotechnology. While gene therapy holds transformative potential for treating a wide range of disorders, conventional delivery systems are constrained by limited tissue targeting, immunogenicity, and an inability to support repeat dosing. These limitations have left millions of patients with conditions that remain effectively untreatable, particularly those involving organs beyond the liver, such as the kidney, heart, pancreas and lungs. This project seeks to overcome these barriers by pioneering a novel gene delivery platform based on engineered cells, a specialised cell population with intrinsic migratory and immune-tolerant properties. Termed DART, the platform transforms cells into living therapeutic vehicles capable of navigating to sites of disease and releasing their genetic payload in a highly controlled manner. Unlike conventional vectors that distribute indiscriminately throughout the body, DART cells are designed to activate only when encountering disease-specific signals, ensuring that therapeutic material is delivered with exceptional precision and minimal off-target effects. The primary focus of this project is to test and enhance the efficiency of cell-to-cell transfer of therapeutic cargo. The project aims to improve the loading and release of therapeutic molecules, significantly increasing the amount of functional payload delivered to target cells. The impact of this technology extends well beyond a single application. By establishing a modular and programmable delivery platform, we aim to enable new treatments for genetic and immune-mediated diseases that currently lack effective therapies. This innovation represents a major step forward in the field of engineering biology, opening opportunities for safer, more precise, and more durable genetic interventions. Through this work, we aspire not only to address a critical bottleneck in gene therapy but also to position the UK at the forefront of next-generation biotechnology, driving scientific progress while creating long-term societal and economic benefits.