Encapsulation of catalytic functionalities into apoferritin for prodrug delivery.

Project summary: This project is focused on the design of an artificial enzyme able to cleave ester, carbamate and amide bonds by hydrolysis. These entities will be used to convert prodrug precursors into their pharmacologically active derivatives. Enzymatic hydrolysis plays an important role in prodrug activation. The novelty of this approach is the exploitation of artificial enzymes for the achievement of highly specific targeting in pharmacological therapies in order to improve the efficacy and the toxicological profile of medical treatments. The aim is to use the protein apoferritin, as a biocompatible scaffold for the incorporation of chemical catalysts. Ferritin is an iron storage nanoparticle which has been widely studied for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. Removal of iron turns ferritin into the apoferritin cage. Ultimately, this project will deliver an engineered apoferritin with the catalytic activity required for prodrugs activation.

Objective: design of an artificial enzyme able to catalyse the hydrolysis of compounds containing ester, carbamate and amide groups.

Approach: protein engineering and chemical synthesis.

Novelty: Use of artificial enzyme as therapeutic tool.