Targeted drugs and energy supplied by the heart beat

VALENTINA CAUDA
Center for Space Human Robotic, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Torino

From GiovedìScienza THURSDAY FEBRAURY 20TH

In recent years nanotechnologies have become increasingly important, managing to piece together very diverse areas, such as medicine, engineering, chemistry and materials science. They offer new intelligent solutions which were unimaginable till not so long ago. Nanoparticles are a case in point: extremely small spheres — from one millionth to one billionth of a metre which have displayed great potential as systems for the targeted controlled release of drugs. Porous nanoparticles are designed using materials such as silica to deliver the anticancer drugs which they contain; they are sealed and release the drug when certain conditions are met (the ‘door or gate’ opens). In other words when the nanoparticle reaches the target organ or the cancer cells, the ‘doors’ open and the killer drug is released.
Another example of Nanomaterials are nanowires known as such because of their very small diameters. Properties can offer innovative uses: for instance zinc oxide nanowires can generate electricity if mechanically stimulated. The electricity is generated by devices using the involuntary movements of the human body, such as breathing or heart beat, or – if inserted in the sole of a shoe – using the energy in walking. The electrical charge which is generated (a few volt) can be used to power miniaturized devices such as those monitoring biometric parameters or to recharge a cell phone or wrist GPS.

VALENTINA CAUDA
Giovedì Scienza 2013 Prize

Dr Cauda was born in Turin in 1981 and graduated in Chemical Engineering in 2004 at the Turin Polytechnic. In 2007 she was awarded a Doctorate in Materials Science and Technology. After a short stay at the Univeristy of Madrid, Dr Cauda spent three years as a researcher at the University of Munich in Bavaria to work on nanoparticles in drug delivery. Since 2010 she has been a post-doctoral researcher at the Turin Centre of the Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia). Dr Cauda’s field of study is the synthesis of nanomaterials and their characteristics for applications in sensors, photovoltaic and biomedical areas. In 2010 she was awarded the Prize for Young Researchers at the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University of Munich and in 2013 was awarded the GiovediScienza Prize. Dr Cauda is the Author of over 40 publications on high impact scientific publications

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