Professor Ana Paula Pêgo, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Portugal

nanoBiomaterials and Neurosciences - A New Power Couple!

One of the challenges facing the neuroscience field is the development of effective therapies that can enhance the regenerative capacity of the nervous system based on the advances achieved in basic research.

At the nanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies group we have been dedicated to using nanobiomaterials to both, design new tissue engineered neural in vitro models for target/drug discovery and develop nano-enabled new therapeutic approaches towards the enhancement of the process of nerve regeneration.

In this talk, I will discuss how we are exploring bioengineering to generate relevant macroglia tissue models to dissect new mechanobiology mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic targets, with expected impact in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, our strategies to design biomaterial-based nanoparticles for targeted nucleic acid delivery to neurons to promote neuroprotection and neuroregeneration will be presented. Two biomaterial-based vectors will be discussed: (i) polymeric nanoparticles based on thiolated trimethyl chitosan to mediate targeted gene delivery to peripheral neurons upon a peripheral and minimally invasive intramuscular administration; (ii) dendrimer based vectors for brain delivery in the aftermath of stroke. Emphasis will be given to the application of novel strategies proposed to assess the potential of the developed nanosystems and contribute to the design of more efficient nucleic acid delivery vectors. Namely, imaging flow cytometry, atomic force microscopy and microfluidic-based platforms.