VIDA

Abstract

The use of plant vesicles presents several advantages in relation to the widely explored vesicles of animal origin, such as, high stability, lack of toxicity, low immunogenicity and low cost, in addition to contributing to the reuse of parts of industrially undervalued plants, thus reinforcing the circular economy. However, little is known about the interaction and affinity of these vesicles with human cells, limiting their use in the clinic.

Therefore, this project aims to evaluate, for the first time, the interaction of plant vesicles with potential receptor cells of different origins (cardiac, neuronal, lung, gastrointestinal and hepatic). For this purpose, we intend to use an emerging technique in the area, temporally resolved fluorescence microscopy (FLIM), which will allow us to trace, in real time, the subcellular behaviour of vesicles and understand whether their origin conditions their affinity and interaction with the target cells.

Overall, the VIDA project will open doors to new lines of multidisciplinary research, allowing the development of targeted and more effective drug delivery strategies.