Master Program in Molecular Biotechnology

The thesis project is devoted to the development and chartacterization of innovative contrat agents for MRI and Photoacoustic imaging and their application in biological systems.

In particular, contrast agents will be prepared and characterized by using different chemical and (NMR, relaxometry, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorimetry, HPLC, photoacoustic imaging) and biological (cell cultures, viability assays, toxicity assays, ROS production, etc…) tools.

The system will be tested on murine models of diseases, especially in cancer.

The developed contrast agents will be based on small-sized molecules, macromolecules or supramolecular systems (nanomedicine: liposomes, micelles, MSNs,…).

Some references:

• Ferrauto G et al. Photoacoustic ratiometric assessment of mitoxantrone release from theranostic ICG-conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticles. 2019 Oct 10;11(39):18031-18036.
• Ferrauto G et al. Large photoacoustic effect enhancement for ICG confined inside MCM-41 mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Nanoscale. 2017 Jan 7;9(1):99-103.
• Ferrauto G, et al. MRI nanoprobes based on chemical exchange saturation transfer: Ln(III) chelates anchored on the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Nanoscale. 2014 Aug 21;6(16):9604-7.
• Di Gregorio E, Ferrauto G, et al. An MRI Method To Map Tumor Hypoxia Using Red Blood Cells Loaded with a pO2-Responsive Gd-Agent.  ACS Nano. 2015 Aug 25;9(8):8239-48.
• Ferrauto G et al. Gd-loaded-RBCs for the assessment of tumor vascular volume by contrast-enhanced-MRI.   2015 Jul;58:82-92. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.04.026. Epub 2015 May 11.
• Ferrauto G, et al. Detection of U-87 Tumor Cells by RGD-Functionalized/Gd-Containing Giant Unilamellar Vesicles in Magnetization Transfer Contrast Magnetic Resonance Images. Invest Radiol. 2020 Dec