Microfluidics-assisted synthesis of Dapagliflozin-loaded liposomes for heart fibrosis: Development of a 3D bioprinted multicellular in vitro model
My name is Maria Camilla Ciardulli, I graduated in Medical Biotechnology at the University of Naples "Federico II" and earned a PhD in "Translational Medicine of Development and Active Aging" from the University of Salerno. During my PhD, I developed dynamic 3D in vitro cultures to study the tenogenic potential of human Mesenchymal Stem Cells. I also conducted a 6-months stay at Keele University (UK) to explore innovative technologies and protocols in tendon tissue engineering.
Then, I pursued a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Salerno, with a focus on the extraction and characterization of human Tendon Stem and Progenitor Cells from healthy, as well as pathological biopsies. I also worked in the development of an in vitro model of tendinopathy and on the production of polymer/lipid nanoparticles for drug delivery applications.
Given my adaptability and interdisciplinary background, the MSCA-PF will represent an ideal opportunity to complete my translational profile. My main goal with this project is to develop, under the supervision of Professor Hélder A. Santos at the Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology, University Medical Center Groningen, a new therapeutic approach for the efficient treatment of cardiac fibrosis by using liposomes, produced by microfluidics to encapsulate Dapagliflozin (DAPA). Their effect will be studied in a 3D multicellular model of cardiac fibrosis, obtained by bioprinting a biomimetic hydrogel, which will be cultured under perfusion and hypoxic conditions to mimic a fibrotic response. Understanding cell behaviour in the proposed setting, this work opens the perspective to optimizing injectable DAPA-liposome formulations, intended as an innovative therapeutic strategy for treating cardiac fibrosis.
You can find more details about my MSCA project at the link below:
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101146615
