VISONA Andrea's PhD thesis defence

 

Nanoparticles are envisioned to reshape biomedical field thanks to their ability of being remotely controlled by external magnetic field. In this study, we focus on micrometric disc-shaped particles whose large shape anisotropy is optimal to translate magnetic torques into mechanical ones. Our objectives were to study whether the outcome of the interaction between cells and the vortex discs is influenced by the mechanical properties of the surrounding environment, both when the particles are set in vibration by the external magnetic field and when they are not. This latter point consisted in an evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of nanoparticles in relation to the stiffness of the culture substrate, as soft substrates have been shown to bring cells to biological state closer to the one in human bodies. The cell type that has been mostly investigated during the PhD is a cell line of human brain cancer, glioblastoma, a cancer that up to now does not have an effective cure and therefore requires innovative approaches and this technology could answer that need.