Specific programme: Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
UPV/EHU Partner Status: Coordinator
UPV/EHU PI: Marcelo Calderon
Project start: 01/03/2021
Project end: 28/02/2023

Brief description: Bovine mastitis (BM) is the most prevalent disease that affects dairy cows in many countries and it is the most important cause of economic losses in the dairy industry worldwide. The dairy activity is very important for the European economy, producing nearly a quarter of the world’s available milk. Currently, BM control consists mainly of antibiotic therapies.

However, they usually cannot eradicate the infection due to acquired drug resistance and survival strategies of bacteria. The mechanisms developed by pathogens are intracellular and biofilm lifestyles that allow them to persist in the mammary gland protected from antibiotic therapies and host immune response. So new therapeutic approaches are needed. The present research project proposes the employment of smart nanogels (NGs) for antimicrobial delivery into mammary gland for BM treatment.

Several polymers and crosslinker agents will be evaluated to obtain a series of NGs. These will be studied and characterized to find suitable nanocarriers with the ability to penetrate bacterial biofilms and internalize host cells, blocking the virulence mechanisms developed by pathogens. The smart drug release ensures that the exposure of the host to antimicrobial agents will be kept at the minimum necessary to kill bacteria. This fact contributes to reducing bacterial resistance development. Nanotechnology in BM treatment is poorly explored which highlights the novelty of the research project proposed.