Descrizione del progetto
Studi di nano-immunologia e tossicologia ad alta tecnologia su promettenti nanomateriali 2D
Grazie alle loro proprietà elettriche, magnetiche e ottiche uniche, i nanomateriali bidimensionali stanno aprendo le porte a nuove tecnologie per l’optoelettronica, lo stoccaggio dell’energia, il rilevamento e molto altro ancora. Tra questi ci sono gli MXeni, una nuova famiglia di carburi, carbonitruri e nitruri di metalli di transizione 2D che hanno mostrato risultati incoraggianti per diverse applicazioni, compresi i sistemi di stoccaggio dell’energia agli ioni di litio e di sodio, la schermatura delle interferenze elettromagnetiche e la purificazione dell’acqua. Sono anche promettenti antibatterici. Con il sostegno del programma di azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie, il progetto SEE condurrà studi approfonditi sui possibili effetti degli MXeni sulla pelle e sul sistema immunitario. Le caratterizzazioni contribuiranno a spianare la strada al loro uso in biomedicina e nanotecnologia.
Obiettivo
Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides/carbonitrides (MXenes), discovered by the outgoing phase Supervisor, Yury Gogotsi (H-index = 160), at Drexel University (USA), have stepped into the limelight of 2D materials (2DMs). Within the SEE project, the Fellow, Dr. Laura Fusco, will learn to produce and characterize MXenes from the most recognized leader in the field. SEE will provide a thorough evaluation of the skin impact and possible immunomodulation of a wide variety of MXenes. No study has investigated at the same time and on a large scale these key aspects for MXene safety and effective use as bioelectronics or biomedical tools applied to the skin. The outstanding peculiar scientific expertise of the Fellow, relying on the characterization of 2DM effects at the skin level depending on their physicochemical properties, will be essential to achieve the project goals. The European Fellow Supervisors, Bengt Fadeel and Lucia G. Delogu, among the most influential scientists in the field of nano-immunology and toxicology, will contribute to the Fellow training by employing the most cutting edge high-dimensional technologies at the single-cell level (e.g. CyTOF, Rhapsody and Hyperion) and pioneering cell-cell analysis systems (e.g. LIPSTIC approach) in this context. The Fellow will also explore the commercial applicability of her results during a secondment at the revolutionist biotech company Fluidigm Corporation. Within SEE, the Fellow will introduce her own novel concept of “Nano-SkinImmunity-by-design”, where the analysis of the cutaneous effects when designing MXenes (and 2DMs) will not only be relevant for their safety, but will also turn them into active tools for cutaneous applications endowed of immune properties, tailorable adjusting their physicochemical profile. By exploring these crucial aspects, SEE aims at incising the strategic field of MXenes and 2DMs as well as their role in biomedicine and nanotechnology at European level and beyond.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
35122 Padova
Italia