Ref. 5297 - Characterization of advanced nanostructured biocompatible materials to develop novel therapeutic strategies against cancer.

The researcher will be enrolled in the Biochemistry Unit of DIBINEM to characterize a new class of hybrid architectures in which superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) act as nanoscale junctions organizing peptides, nucleic acids, or carbon nanostructures. The three product lines will be analyzed by Raman and IR spectroscopy. A translational axis will focus on cervical cancer (CC), developing products for two applications: (1) new sensitive-scaffold materials to monitor tumor micro-environment; (2) cargo-forming biomaterials as novel therapeutic strategies. The researcher will implement 3D CC cell models to explore molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic rewiring in CC, cell–matrix interactions, and will test cargo-forming biomaterial activity. Expected outcomes include validation of biocompatible scaffolds suited for CC research, and of cargo-forming biomaterials to modulate CC metabolic states via delivery of miRNA antagonists and drugs.