Nanomedicine Applications Mediated by Electromagnetic Fields

Recently, the introduction of nanotechnologies into medical applications has become more frequent due to the growing of several diseases originating from alteration of biological processes at molecular and nanoscale level (e.g. mutated genes, cell malfunction due to viruses or bacteria). The nanomedicine combines the innovation of the nanotechnology materials (shape and size of nm scale) to health care, providing new promising techniques for the diagnosis, the prevention, the tissue regeneration and therapeutic fields. My research lies in this scenario and it aims at providing a multiscale and multidisciplinary approach to demonstrate the capability to activate lipid-based nano-systems by means of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Specifically, I focus on a first part on the liposome-based systems mediated by EMF to provide a proof-of-concept of EMF stimuli-response systems for applications of drug delivery. This aspect has been approached both form a theoretic, technological and experimental point of view. Moreover, because proteins are considered a fundamental pattern as bio-sensors for signalling cell processes, a molecular dynamics simulation approach is provided to study the interaction mechanisms between EMFs and proteins structures for potential protein activation.
Dr. Elena is graduated with a B.S. and M.S. degrees in Clinical and Biomedical Engineering from Sapienza, University of Rome. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Electronic Engineering at "Sapienza" University of Rome working on drug delivery systems mediated both by the application of either nsPEFs (nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields) and low intensity magnetic fields using nm liposomes as nanocarriers both from an experimental and a theoretical point of view.

Her research is also focused on molecular dynamics simulations to study the protein structure changes under the application of electric or magnetic fields, for the analysis of molecular interactions.