The Nanomaterials for Targeting Therapeutics Group (NANOTARGET) conducts its research within the Physiology Section of the Department of Biochemistry and Physiology at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences.
The limited progress in the therapeutic efficacy of treatments for severe diseases highlights the urgent need for a multidisciplinary approach to designing effective nanomaterials. Successful drug delivery is often achieved through nanomaterial-assisted accumulation in target tissues and/or improved cellular internalization, which is facilitated by the development of stimulus-responsive delivery systems. One of NANOTARGET’s core research lines focuses on designing nanoparticles with high gene/drug loading capacity and precise, stimulus-triggered release profiles, including enhanced intracellular delivery and selective tumor targeting. Recently, this research has expanded to explore the use of these nanomaterials in the treatment of chronic wounds, an often overlooked yet widespread condition that poses an increasing threat to public health and the economy, particularly in developed countries.
In collaboration with international researchers, NANOTARGET is also involved in the development of innovative materials for use as biomedical fabrics. These novel materials have successfully enabled the creation of non-adhesive surfaces and the promotion of three-dimensional (3D) cell aggregates on them. Culturing cells in 3D has become a powerful model for more accurately replicating in vitro cellular behavior under physiologically relevant conditions, offering valuable insights for drug screening. In addition, cells derived from 3D spheroids have demonstrated exciting properties such as improved adhesion and proliferation of representative skin cell lines or activation of macrophages to M2-type cell, both advanced properties for regenerative applications.
Despite advances in 3D culture models, characterizing 3D spheroids remains a significant challenge due to the limitations of current analytical tools—many of which were originally designed for 2D models and often assume ideal spherical growth. To overcome these challenges, NANOTARGET is implementing 3D confocal profilometry as a cutting-edge, non-destructive technique to more precisely monitor and characterize the evolution of cellular structures in 3D spheroids.
During the development of these nanomaterials, it is crucial to improve their stability in biological environaments and evaluate their transport properties, targeting efficiency, and interactions with biological barriers. Enhancing the biocompatibility and minimizing the cytotoxicity of the nanoparticle systems and their precursor materials remains a key objective. These studies also extend to the development of synthetic compounds with potential therapeutical applications, for which NANOTARGET maintains close collaborations.