L Visai
Group Members
L Visai
(Head of Laboratory)
N Bloise
(Post-doctoral Fellow)
F Cristofaro
(PhD Student)
F Bertoglio
(PhD Student)
A Monaco
(Postgraduate Fellow)
Nanotechnology for tissue regeneration, nanomedicine and infection control
Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers.
Our laboratory is interested in studying the effects exerted by the application of nanotechnology in bone remodeling (in particular in microgravity), in reduction of bacterial infection and in the diagnosis and therapy of cancer. The current work of the laboratory focuses on four lines of investigation:
(i) The application of nanotechnology as a countermeasure to disuse osteoporosis in microgravity: assessment of nanoparticles (cell uptake in the Fig below) effect on bone remodeling using the Random Positioning Machine (RPM) and the International Space Station (ISS).
(ii) The application of nanotechnology for tissue regeneration: study of adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of stem cells or other type of cells on nano- and microstructured scaffolds. (3,4)
(iii) The application of nanotechnology for the reduction of bacterial infection: characterization of biomaterials/scaffolds containing silver/gold nanoparticles with antibacterial function (1); selection and characterization of human single chain fragment variable (scFv) against bacterial adhesins.
(iv) The application of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and therapy of cancer: development and biological characterization of nanosystem for delivery of anticancer drug. (2)
Selected Papers
Biomaterials. 2014 Feb;35(6):1779-88.
In vitro study of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with adsorbed mitoxantrone (MTO) as a drug delivery system to treat breast cancer. Risi G, Bloise N, Merli,D, Icaro-Cornaglia A, Profumo A, Fagnoni M, Quartarone E, Imbriani M, Visai L.
RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 18683-693.
Tuning multi/pluri-potent stem cell fate by electrospun poly(L-lactic acid)-calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite nanocomposite mats. D’Angelo F, Armentano I, Cacciotti I, Tiribuzi R, Quattrocelli M, Del Gaudio C, Fortunati E, Saino E, Caraffa A, Cerulli GG, Visai L, Kenny JM, Sampaolesi M, Bianco A, Martino S, Orlacchio A.
Biomacromolecules. 2012 May 14;13(5):1350-60.
Effect of electrospun fiber diameter and alignment on macrophage activation and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines.
Saino E, Focarete ML, Gualandi C, Emanuele E, Cornaglia AI, Imbriani M, Visai L. Biomacromolecules. 2011 May 9;12(5):1900-11.
