Beatriz Santos Carballal University of Münster Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology Nanobiotechnology Group Schlossgarten 3 48149 Münster Germany
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Chitosan-based nanomaterials for non-viral gene delivery in cancer therapy

Current advances

Santos/Goycoolea focuses her project on deepening the understanding of the relationship between the biophysical properties of chitosan-based nanomaterials (polyelectrolyte nanocomplexes, nanoparticles, and nanocapsules) loaded with microRNA that are well established to participate in the regulation of cancer-related processes (col. Götte). The final aim is to discern the key structural properties of chitosans so as to achieve optimal intracellular delivery by nanocarriers for of miRNA. The complexation of chitosans of varying DA, DP, and PA (col. Moerschbacher) with microRNA is presently being studied by ITC and other biophysical techniques (col. Swamy) and the plan is also to conduct molecular simulation studies (col. Lalitha). A preliminary biological experiment (col. Götte) shows that the characteristics of chitosan definitely are at play in determining the transfection efficiency of nanocomplexes of chitosan and microRNA.

Last update 17.04.2013

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