BEGIN:VCALENDAR
PRODID:-//Columba Systems Ltd//NONSGML CPNG/SpringViewer/ICal Output/3.3-
 M3//EN
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20190509T124957Z
DTSTART:20190524T120000Z
DTEND:20190524T130000Z
SUMMARY:CMB&RM seminar: Sandra Vranic "Cellular interactions with graphen
 e based materials – biocompatibility and potential for intracellular del
 ivery of nucleic acids"
UID:{http://www.columbasystems.com/customers/uom/gpp/eventid/}o1ie-jvgnfs
 cd-as4l1t
DESCRIPTION:The interest for graphene and its translation into commercial
  products have been expanding at high pace during the last few years. Th
 e potential of graphene oxide (GO) to act as an intracellular carrier of
  small interfering RNA (siRNA) has so far been explored as a component o
 f more complex delivery systems based on other materials\, predominantly
  positively charged polymers\, already used as gene delivery vectors but
  whose biocompatibility is far from ideal. We established toxicological 
 profile of graphene oxide in human epithelial cells by interrogating the
  effect of two key parameters: lateral dimensions of the material and co
 ating with proteins. Exploiting intrinsic fluorescence of graphene oxide
  (GO) and using confocal live-cell imaging\, the behaviour of the cells 
 in response to the material was visualized in real time. Subsequently\, 
 we investigated whether bare GO could be utilized as siRNA carrier in vi
 tro. Its performance was compared to that of a benchmark\, lipid-based t
 ransfection agent. GO was found to form stable complexes with siRNA\, in
  spite of unfavourable electrostatic interactions. GO delivered siRNA ra
 pidly\, however Lipofectamine® exhibited an entirely different pattern o
 f intracellular transport and was able to sustain intracellular level of
  nucleic acids for longer\, leading to more efficient gene knock-down. W
 e provide previously unreported evidence that GO (without any further fu
 nctionalization) is able to act as a flat\, 2-dimensional siRNA carrier\
 , able to transport short nucleic acids into the cells.\n\nBackground:\n
 Sandra obtained her BSc Degree in Molecular Biology and Physiology at th
 e University of Belgrade\, Serbia in 2007. After graduation she complete
 d her MRes Degree in Toxicology at University Paris Diderot – Paris 7\, 
 France. She pursued her PhD in Toxicology in the Laboratory of Molecular
  and Cellular Responses to Xenobiotics at University Paris Diderot – Par
 is 7. She focused on interactions of manufactured engineered nanoparticl
 es with cells\, especially on the mechanisms of their internalization an
 d subsequent cellular effects. After her PhD\, Sandra obtained Japanese 
 Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) postdoctoral fellowship at Nagoy
 a University and Tokyo University of Science in Japan\, where she focuse
 d on the effects of silica nanoparticles on mice and Zebra fish. Sandra 
 joined the Nanomedicine Lab in January 2015 as a Marie Curie Research Fe
 llow under the RADDEL ITN project studying nanocapsules filled with radi
 ometals aimed for biomedical applications in the areas of cancer diagnos
 is and therapy. She worked as a lead scientist in Graphene Flagship and 
 2D Health projects\, and currently acts as a PI of EU funded Horizon 202
 0 project BIORIMA. In November 2018 she was appointed as Lecturer in Nan
 o-Cell Biology. Her team aims to investigate cellular and molecular biol
 ogy of graphene and other 2D materials in order to discover new therapeu
 tic applications of these materials.
STATUS:TENTATIVE
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
CLASS:PUBLIC
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre\, Michael Smith Building\, Manchester
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