Research

In the early times the group focused the research work in the development of biosensors towards measuring and characterizing samples for diagnostic purposes, coordinated with the study of tick born diseases (Babesia spp). The introduction of microfluidic structures in the biosensor for the study of biological samples (e.g. hybrid microchip) and the application of nanoparticles (quantum dots) provided new opportunities to develop methods for identification and measurement of samples.

The research studies in the group continued to use microfluidics towards the study and control of the fluidic behaviour in microstructures for single-cell analysis. The complex procedures for chemical cytometry experiments have been integrated into a single microfabricated device. The capability of handling a volume of liquid as small as picoliters has been applied to manipulate cells, perform controlled chemical reactions, and efficiently minimize sample dilution after lysis.

In the last years the group started a new line of research towards the development of non-animal models, specifically for drug delivery, testing and tumor studies. The group developed in vitro reconstructed 3D human skin, towards the production of an human model, useful for laboratory experimentation without the need of using animals. The developed skin model allows the study of drug delivery through the epidermis; the optimization of nanoparticles synthesis for increasing permeation efficacy; the recreation of a full 3D melanoma model and also the development of a skin-in-a-chip setu,p for long term in vitro assays in 3D full humanised epidermis and dermis.