IBEC has specialized expertise in designing nanoparticle-based therapies encompassing fabrication, characterization, functionalization, behavior modeling, and in vivo/in vitro testing.
Focus Areas:
- Tissue Regeneration
- Immunology
- Infections
- Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Cancer
EXPERTISE DETAILS
- Modeling:
- Modeling nanoparticles’ pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in vitro and in silico using computational biophysics techniques such as Molecular Dynamics, Coarse-Grain modeling, and Binding Energy calculations.
- Design, Synthesis and Functionalization:
- Synthesis and functionalization of nanoparticles using biocompatible polymers or co-polymers (e.g., PEG/PLA), mesoporous silica, liposomes, micelles, and others.
- Use of decorating and targeting agents such as antibodies, aptamers, peptides, enzymes, or other proteins.
- Bioactive nano/micro particles promoting recruitment of progenitor cells, angiogenesis, and antimicrobial effects.
- Development of surface deposition protocols.
- Characterization:
- Multiparametric nondestructive measurement of mechanical and electrical properties of nanoparticles
- Characterization at the liquid-solid interface on a micro scale.
- Analysis of high polydispersity samples.
- High-throughput physical multiparametric characterization of single nanoparticles.
- Motion characterization of nanomotors in simulated matrices.
- Use of Galleria mellonella as a model to assess the toxicity of nanomaterials, including nanoparticulated formulations.
- Nanoparticle-Based Therapies:
- Design of therapies against:
- Bacterial Infections: Enhancement of existing antibiotics and development of novel approaches based on synthetic cells for anti-biofilm purposes.
- Malaria and Leishmaniasis: Improvement of current antimalarial drugs and targeting specific pathogen phases.
- Bladder cancer, Pseudomyxoma Peritonei and joint diseases: use of a novel drug delivery approach based on biocompatible and biodegradable enzyme-powered nanomotors.
- Skin burns, chronic wounds and bone tissue disorders
- Nano-drug targeting based on cell phenotype. Tested applications: Immune system targeting for Tuberculosis and Bacterial Infections, and Blood-Brain-Barrier targeting for Alzheimer and Multiple Sclerosis.
- Design of therapies against: