Simon Jones
Dendrons for Gene Therapy

Project Overview

My project is supported by EPRSC. It is my intention to build on the ground-breaking research of Mauri Kostiainen and John Hardy in this group, and continue the development of DNA binding dendrons. In particular, we intend to enhance the ability of our dendritic systems to transport genetic material (DNA or si-RNA) into cells. This is important in the development of synthetic vectors for so-called 'gene therapy'. The delivery of therapeutic DNA into cells may ultimately offer treatment for diseases as diverse as cancer, muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. In addition to enabling more efficient uptake of genetic material, we also intend to target the dendrons we develop to specific types of cells, in this way the nanotherapeutics we develop should have higher actvities and specificities.

During my PhD I will spend some time with our collaborators in Urbana-Champaign (Illinois, USA) studying the ability of our molecules to perform gene delivery into cells