ESR project: Synthesis and biological evaluation of glycan-coated nanoparticles for enhanced drug delivery of bioactive compounds
Supervisor: Dr Africa Barrientos
Institution: Midatech Pharma, ES
Country of origin: Portugal
NanoCarb research: Avelino will develop methods to allow the synthesis and analysis of glycan-coated gold ultra-small nanoparticles (<10 nm). He will evaluate the interaction of this multivalent carbohydrate-platform with lectins. He will also prepare gold nanoparticles tagged with a fluorescent linker to probe binding to cells and cell surface motifs, such as integrins and glycopeptides. He will probe the exploitable mechanisms of cell uptake and assess the shedding of therapeutic payload in cells.
Scientific Background: Avelino holds a MSc in Bioengineering with specialisation in Molecular Biotechnology from the University of Porto, Portugal.