15th Early Stage Researchers Workshop in Nanoscience

Engineering poly(β-amino ester) nanocarriers: a modular platform for RNA therapeutics

Abstract

RNA medicines need delivery systems that can protect cargo, navigate biological barriers, and program intracellular fate. Poly(β-amino ester)s (pBAEs) offer a biodegradable, chemically tunable platform in which backbone and end-group chemistry modulate complexation, stability, trafficking and release. I will discuss recent advances from our lab on pBAE nanocarriers for different types of RNA delivery, including oligopeptide-terminated and ligand-decorated libraries generation for selective transfection, as well as multilayer/hybrid designs aimed at crossing physiological barriers and shaping immune responses. Emphasis will be placed on structure–function rules, manufacturability, and translation-relevant assays that connect polymer design to potency and safety in vitro and in vivo. These examples illustrate how pBAE chemistry can be leveraged to build programmable RNA delivery systems with clear paths to application.

Short biography

Cristina Fornaguera is an ICREA Academia Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (Barcelona), where she coordinates the NanoTher – Nano Therapies Lab, focused on nanomedicine engineering for targeted interactions with physiological barriers. Her research centers on polymeric and hybrid nanocarriers, particularly poly(β-amino ester) (pBAE) systems, for RNA and gene delivery, immunomodulation, and barrier crossing. Only ten years after obtaining her PhD, Dr Fornaguera is currently leading a consolidated research group composed of almost 30 researchers of different levels. She is the principal investigator of national and international projects, fundied under competitive calls. She was awarded last year with the ICREA Academia recognition.

Wet-chemical synthesis of anisotropic gold nanocrystals

Abstract

Gold nanocrystals are intriguing materials displaying optical properties that vary according to the nanocrystal shape and size. This unique property makes them highly suitable for cancer diagnosis and treatment applications, optical devices, and photocatalysis. Gold nanorods, in particular, are especially attractive due to their ability to exhibit tunable and narrow extinction bands in the visible and near-infrared regions, depending on their volume and length-to-width ratio. In this presentation, I will discuss various methods for producing high quality gold nanorod colloids, focusing on surfactant-assisted seed-mediated growth routes and the application of pulsed laser irradiation to control size, morphology, and purity. We will explore fundamental concepts such as symmetry breaking, anisotropic growth, and the reshaping of nanocrystals through laser excitation, examining how different experimental factors impact the quality of the resulting colloids. I will also highlight recent advancements in the in-situ characterization of gold nanorod seeds, crucial for gaining insights into symmetry-breaking mechanisms.

Biography

Dr. González-Rubio studied Chemistry at the Complutense University (UCM) of Madrid, where he obtained his PhD in 2017 under the guidance of Prof. Luis Liz-Marzán (CIC biomaGUNE) and Prof. Andrés Guerrero-Martínez (UCM). His postdoctoral studies were conducted at the University of Konstanz under the mentorship of Prof. Helmut Cölfen, supported by a research fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Since 2023, he has been an Atracción de Talento Research Fellow at the UCM. He was recently awarded an ERC Starting Grant to develop advanced methods to synthesize complex multielemental nanocrystals. His research interests focus on the development of colloidal routes and the use of ultrafast pulsed laser irradiation to synthesize, stabilize, and assemble high quality nanocrystals for optical and catalytic applications.