The Ohio State University

Abstract:

Systemically administered particulate systems before reaching their final target and execute their missions, have to make their way into the circulatory system, reach the diseased microvasculature, extravasate crossing the blood vessels, diffuse through the extracellular matrix (ECM) and eventually bind to the target cell. For particles designed to target the diseased vasculature, three issues are of importance: the margination dynamics, the strength of adhesion and the control of cell internalization. The term margination dynamics refers to the lateral drifting of particles towards the blood vessel walls, which facilitates the interaction with the diseased vasculature and allows eventually for firm adhesion, if specifi c conditions are met. The term strength of adhesion is referred to the ability of particles to attach firmly to the blood vessels withstanding the hemodynamic forces. Finally, the term internalization is referred to the ability of an adherent particle to control uptake by the host cell.

A broad spectrum of particulate systems has been presented in the literature with different compositions, chemico¬physical properties, sizes and shapes. On the other hand, Nature provides a variety of biological corpuscles with shapes which differ substantially from spherical. For example, red blood cells have a biconcave disc shape; platelets have an oblate spheroidal shape; the shape of most proteins as BSA, Fibrinogen, IgG deviates significantly from the spherical.

The talk will review the most recent developments in the rational design of particulate systems, emphasizing the contribution of particle geometry (size and shape). Theoretical, in-vitro and in-vivo results will be presented and discussed.

Bio:

Dr. Paolo Decuzzi is associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Texas, Health Science Center Houston and associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Center of Bio-/Nanotechnology and -/Engineering for Medicine in the School of Medicine of the University of Magna Graecia, in Italy. Dr. Decuzzi earned his M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Politecnico of Bari, Italy in 1997 and his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Naples, Italy in 2001. He teaches Strength of Material at the under-graduate level; and Design of Machines and BioNanoMechanics at the graduate level. Dr. Decuzzi has published over 70 peer-reviewed publications, 4 chapters in books and has 5 patents currently under review by the US Patent Office in biomedical nanotechnologies. His research activity is sponsored by DARPA and NIH in the US, and by the ESF in Europe.

The seminar will be held in E001 Scott Laboratory.