The PhD project will be carried out at the Biophotonic imaging Group which is hosted by the Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy and is focused on studying cell-nanoparticle interactions and is therefore a unique mix between nanotechnology and advanced cell biology.
The interaction of nanosized particles and living cells and the possible occurrence of nanoparticle-induced cellular toxicity is a relatively new research field which is rapidly gaining importance. As nanoscopic materials are used in many technological applications, human beings can be unwillingly exposed to a great variety of nanomaterials.
Furthermore, many pharmaceutical and biomedical applications rely on the deliberate exposure of the human body to nanoparticles, such as, for instance, nanoparticle-based medical imaging or nanomedicine-based therapeutic strategies. One constant factor in all these applications is the exposure of biological tissues to nanoparticles which necessitates a better understanding of nanoparticle-cell interactions in order to pave the way for future applications without the risk of side-effects.
Recently, an in vitro test system was developed in our group, based on 3 different cell types (C17.2 neural progenitor cells, primary human endothelial cells and PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells) to allow a systematic and standardized assessment of nanoparticle induced cytotoxicity.
The first main research goal of this PhD project is to investigate the toxic effects of common nanomaterials, such as gold or iron oxide nanoparticles, quantum dots and nanomedicines. For each of these nanoparticles a safe concentration range should be determined, as well as the effect of size, charge and surface coating on cell homeostasis. In short, the following parameters will be studied: acute toxicity, cell proliferation, reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial metabolism, DNA damage, cellular morphology and functionality of stem cells. At the non-toxic concentrations, it will then further be verified whether the particles are still sufficiently internalized by the cells to verify which particles are best suited for biomedical applications and to aid in the future design of non-toxic nanomaterials.
Many of these assays are based on fluorescence microscopy analysis. Recently, it was found that one major bottle neck in this type of research is the analysis of a large number of cells in order to allow relevant statistical analysis. A major challenge and second main goal of this PhD project is therefore the implementation of these toxicity assays in a high-content and high throughput setup. This part of the project will be carried out in close collaboration with Dr. Winnok De Vos (Bio-Imaging and Cytometry, Faculty of Bio-Engineering) in context of the recently founded Centre for Nano - and Biophotonics.
PhD Position in Department of Pharmaceutics
