Michela Patrucco

Michela Partucco is a 1^st year PhD student in Neuroscience (experimental curriculum) working in the Clinical Nanobiochemistry Laboratory (CNLAB) since November 2023. She graduated in Biomedical Engineering L-9 in 2020 at the Polytechnic University of Turin (grade 92/110) and then she got her Master Science degree in July 2023 in the field of Biomedical Engineering – Bionanotechnologies curriculum LM-21 at the Polytechnic University of Turin (grade 110/110 cum laude). Her theoretical background includes nanoparticles characterization and functionalization, targeting strategies, 2D and 3D in vitro models of physiological and pathological environments. She completed her MS internship from October 2022 to July 2023 with a thesis which title is “Patient-personalized magnetic nanovectors for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme” at the Italian Institute of Technology, within the group Smart-Bio Interfaces of Pontedera (PI), exploiting cancer cell-membrane coated magnetic nanovectors to mediate hyperthermia as a potential therapy for the treatment of glioblastoma. Her contributions in the laboratory involve in vitro cell cultures and establishment of blood-brain barrier in vitro models, nanoparticles characterization, immunocytochemical analysis and the use of spectroscopic techniques.

PhD research project

Design of innovative delivery systems to transport therapeutics to the brain for glioblastoma multiforme treatment

In the context of the treatment of brain tumor, nanotechnology has emerged as an extremely promising therapeutic approach to fight these devastating diseases by enhancing drug bioavailability, facilitating BBB crossing, and targeting tumor cells, allowing for precise delivery while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. However, none delivery system has been approved for medical use or it has reached clinical trial phase. It is therefore clear that there is an urgent need to investigate thoroughly innovative delivery systems to carry therapeutics through the BBB, both in healthy and diseased conditions, considering the inter-tumoral variability of brain tumors. Considering Glioblastoma (GBM), one of the most aggressive and invasive tumors of the central nervous system, a transwell in vitro model will be used in order to investigate the effect of GBM on the BBB properties. Through this model  the BBB permeability performance, the bioelectrical properties and the changes in the molecular expression profile of the endothelial cell-cell junctions will be evaluated. In the second part of the project, it will be designed and characterized an innovative drug delivery nanosystem constituted by drug-loaded liposomes functionalized with cell membrane portions extracted from tumor cells which are reported to metastasize to the brain in order to endow the liposome with BBB crossing, immune escape and tumor-targeting ability.