Program Summary
The In Vivo Nanoplatforms (IVN) program supports military readiness through the development of in vivo sensing technologies and therapeutics that facilitate optimal health and performance in individual warfighters. The program pursues technologies that provide early indication of physiological abnormalities or illness that can be proactively addressed with therapeutics or supportive care.
The IVN program specifically seeks to develop new classes of adaptable nanoparticles for persistent, distributed, unobtrusive physiologic and environmental sensing, as well as the treatment of physiologic abnormalities, illness, and infectious disease. The program is broken into two complementary efforts.
The IVN Diagnostics (IVN:Dx) effort aims to develop a generalized in vivo platform that provides continuous physiological monitoring for the warfighter. Specifically, IVN:Dx investigates technologies that incorporate implantable nanoplatforms composed of bio-compatible, nontoxic materials; in vivo sensing of small and large molecules of biological interest; multiplexed detection of analytes at clinically relevant concentrations; and external interrogation of the nanoplatforms without using implanted electronics for communication.
The IVN Therapeutics (IVN:Tx) effort seeks unobtrusive nanoplatforms for rapidly treating disease in warfighters. This program is pursuing treatments that increase safety and minimize the dose required for clinically relevant efficacy; limit off-target effects; limit immunogenicity; increase effectiveness by targeting delivery to specific tissues and/or uptake by cells of interest; increase bioavailability; knock down medically relevant molecular target(s); and increase resistance to degradation. If successful, such platforms will enable prevention and treatment of military-relevant illnesses such as infections caused by multi-drug-resistant organisms.