Thesis Project Form
Title (tentative): Composite hydrogels for the sustained release of bioactive moleculesThesis advisor(s): Pastorino Laura, Patrizia Perego | E-mail: |
Address: Via Opera Pia 13 | Phone: (+39) 010 33 56547 |
Description
Motivation and application domain
Design, fabrication and characterization of composite hydrogel microparticles to be used as carriers for bioactive molecules (e.g. antioxidants).
General objectives and main activities
Hydrogels have been extensively used in various biomedical applications such as drug delivery and biosensing. More recently, the possibility of formulating natural hydrogels with inorganic nanoparticles has opened the way to the fabrication of composite materials displaying better mechanical properties and thus able to modulate the release of encapsulated molecules. In this respect, the air-dynamically driven encapsulation and the spray-drying techniques will be used to fabricate hydrogel microparticles embedded with nanosystems and antioxidant molecules. Different polysaccharide hydrogels will be evaluated.
Training Objectives (technical/analytical tools, experimental methodologies)
To gain practical experience in the development, engineerization and characterization of composite hydrogel microparticles for applications in sustained drug release.
Place(s) where the thesis work will be carried out: DIBRIS, DICCA, University of Genoa
Additional information
Maximum number of students: 1