The research group has among its primary objectives that of contributing to the development of innovative solutions and devices for applications in the health and biomedical fields and supporting technology transfer in the aforementioned sectors. The main focus is on the advancement of early diagnosis and the development of personalized therapies. Starting from a multidisciplinary approach, in vitro models, devices based on micro and nano technologies, microfluidics and Lab on a chip have been developed. Furthermore, the interactions between living and artificial environments are studied, on different scales of size. All this together with the development and study of new materials useful for regenerative engineering, biology and biosensing.
The development of new biosensors is essential to lead current diagnostics towards a less invasive, more informative and therefore more predictive approach for the patient. In this perspective, the study and development of biosensors for liquid biopsy, and those integrated into wearable devices, functional for monitoring parameters for health care and sports, fall within this scope. In this context, MP4MNT develops bioelectronics based on organic transistors, new nanomaterials and 2D materials in order to obtain innovative and higher-performance devices, Lateral flow tests (LFT) based mainly on the use of functionalized nanoparticles, nanophotonics techniques based on imaging by scanning probe.
The Lab on a Chip (LOCs) domain includes a wide range of devices, materials and technologies. The group's activity in this area is expressed both in the development and manufacturing of devices, or customized prototypes on demand, and in the application of LOCs for research purposes. In the latter case, the activity is essentially expressed in the study and development of (i) technologies effective in the early detection of tumor biomarkers, (ii) platforms for cell culture, which can be associated with biosensors aimed at application in barrier cell models, organ-on-a-chip and organoids and (iii) lab-on-chip for diagnostics and the implementation of integrated systems for the detection of the result.
In the field of micro technologies for the development of 3D models, the research activity focuses on the design, development and characterization of advanced 3D bioengineered in vitro models, i.e., bioactive tissue/organ constructs, containing one or more cell types and able to mimic healthy and pathological conditions. In parallel, the research is carried out considering the optimization of advanced biomatrices/bioinks based on specifically selected materials (e.g. gelatin, silk, waste materials), having chemical, biochemical and mechanical properties such as to reproduce the physiological microenvironment in vivo in the body district of interest. The development of these models is aimed at the creation of versatile platforms, primarily for applications in the context of personalized medicine.
The development of new technologies involves also the development of innovative materials and surfaces, which can show controllable functionalities, flexible to the different applications, which can be processed advanced technologies, which finally can allow the fabrication of new-generation devices. In this frame, for years MP4MNT takes forward the development of smart materials, both synthetic and biological, and surfaces, able to react to external conditions such biological, chemical-physical, mechanic, electric, magnetic or light stimuli, even designed specifically for 3D printing. This cutting-edge approach, which spans from the material development to the final application, involving also fabrication, is the cornerstone of MP4MNT group.
