Eventos
O mércores 11 de xuño de 2025, Dr. Antonella Bongiovanni (Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy; EVE Biofactory srl, Palermo, Italy) ofrecerá o seminario “Nature’s Nanosecret: Production and Engineering of Microalgal Extracellular Vesicles for Innovative Therapeutic and Cosmetic Applications" dentro do ciclo CINBIO Seminar Programme.
Será ás 11:00 horas na Sala de Seminarios de Torre CACTI.
ABSTRACT:
The high failure rate of therapeutic candidates—often due to poor efficacy or off-target toxicity—underscores the need for safe and efficient drug delivery systems. This highlights the urgent need for safe, effective, and scalable drug delivery systems. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a biologically derived alternative to synthetic nanocarriers, offering inherent biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and natural targeting capabilities.
In this talk, I will present our latest work on the development of nanoalgosomes—a novel class of EVs derived from microalgae—designed to address key limitations of current delivery platforms. We have established a robust and scalable pipeline for their production, employing tangential flow filtration (TFF) for efficient isolation, followed by stringent quality control protocols to ensure batch-to-batch consistency in terms of chemical composition, physical parameters (size, charge), and biological activity.
Nanoalgosomes exhibit intrinsic antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and photoprotective functions and are further engineered to encapsulate both chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., doxorubicin) and genetic payloads (e.g., siRNA). Their natural affinity for bone tissue enhances selective delivery, as confirmed in functional assays involving osteosarcoma and normal osteoblast cell lines, where they demonstrate increased cellular uptake and cytotoxic efficacy compared to free drug administration.
Beyond their therapeutic performance, the use of microalgae as a production source ensures a sustainable, cost-effective, and ethically neutral alternative to mammalian-derived EVs, eliminating donor variability and enabling industrial scalability. Importantly, nanoalgosomes serve as a model system linking vesicle structure and lipid/protein composition to specific biological outcomes, thus enabling the rational engineering of targeted nanocarriers.
Altogether, this platform offers a dual opportunity: the development of next-generation EV-based nanotherapeutics for bone-related diseases, and the formulation of active cosmetic ingredients with scientifically validated properties.
SHORT BIO:
Antonella Bongiovanni is a cellular biologist and researcher at IRIB – the Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). She holds a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Palermo and completed her postdoctoral training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (USA). She has developed strong expertise in cellular dynamics and the mechanisms of plasma membrane remodeling.
At CNR, she coordinates European projects (Horizon2020, PNRR) focused on the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in intercellular communication and on the development of bioinspired nanotechnologies for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. She is a co-founder and board member of the scientific society EVIta and an active member of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV). She also co-founded EVE Biofactory, a biotech startup for the industrial production of EVs from microalgae, which was awarded the European Commission’s Seal of Excellence. Her expertise includes cellular and molecular biology, 2D and 3D in vitro models, preclinical studies, EV engineering and characterization, as well as extensive experience in project management and research quality. She collaborates with leading European research centers (Max Planck, ETH Zurich, IRCCS Rizzoli, VU Amsterdam, Universities of Brescia and Vigo, and CSGI) and actively participates in international scientific networks focused on innovation and EVs (INPACT!, CNR-EV-NET).
She holds 2 patents, has coordinated 2 European projects, and serves in various organizational and editorial roles within the scientific community.
Full CV: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0307-4043
