Each month we are going to be highlighting one of the PhD’s of the project so their work can be showcased. We continue with Andrea Zendrini, PhD in CSGI. We are asking the PhD’s five questions and here is how Andrea answered.
Good morning Andrea, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello there, I’m Andrea Zendrini but everyone calls me Zen! I’m a medical biotechnologist with the passion for mountains and videogames. I have a PhD in Technology for Health and I’m currently a Post Doc (or research fellow, if you prefer) working in the lab of Prof. Paolo Bergese at the University of Brescia. My journey into the extracellular vesicle world started something like ten years ago during my bachelor and evolved in a broader interest regarding biosensors, bio-nanotechnology, and nanomedicine. I’m interested in developing biosensors and assays to better study and characterize extracellular vesicles and other bio-nanoparticles.
Could you explain your last discovery?
My last work “On the surface-to-bulk partition of proteins in extracellular vesicles” falls into this topic. We basically tried to describe in a very simple way how proteins distribute between the surface and the lumen of extracellular vesicles and how many proteins a vesicle carries depending on its size. This publication was accepted very recently and we are now making the necessary edits to publish and final submit.
Which is tthe advancement for science and technology that you are currently studying?
We are currently aiming to refine the simple model we created it by testing it on different settings. Such calculations could be useful to estimate the total protein content and distribution in complex preparations of extracellular vesicles with defined sizes. Plus, having an idea on how many proteins a vesicle carries on its surface and in its lumen may prove useful for tailor some types of experiments, such as cellular uptake or vesicle engineering ones.
Which would you say are the possible impacts on society?
I currently carry on my activities thanks to the BOW project grant. I really feel that inside the project we have all the necessary expertise to do cutting edge research and create new exploitable applications ultimately leading to advancements in the field of drug delivery and healthcare.
Is there someone you want to acknowledge?
Among the others I’d like to thank my supervisor Prof. Paolo Bergese and my lab mates, who make the everyday lab life enjoyable. Plus, I’d like to thank the co-authors of my last work: Dr. Dolores di Vizio and her team form the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA. And all the BOWers of course!
Link to the paper: https://chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxiv/article-details/624c3e00f6c486599a127c42
