our research
Our Lab focuses on the smart functionalization of nanomaterials for biomedical applications. We work on the synthesis and functionalization of gold and magnetic nanoparticles with different biomolecules to create highly active NP-biomolecules that can be used to develop innovative applications, including:
i) targeting strategies;
ii) controlled drug release methodologies;
iii) biosensing strategies.
We are also interested in studying the interactions of nanoparticles with proteins, cells, invertebrate (Hydra vulgaris) and vertebrate models.
about me
María Moros is a Juan de la Cierva Fellowship at the Aragón Materials Science Institute (ICMA) in Zaragoza (Spain). The ICMA is a mixed research institute between the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and the Universidad de Zaragoza (UNIZAR). She started her research career at the National Center of Biotechnology (Madrid) as a postgraduate grant-assisted student in the prestigious laboratory of Juan Ortín. She did a 16-month MSci. in Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Drugs, at the University of Navarra (Spain), under the supervision of Prof. J.L. Vizmanos obtaining the Advanced Studies Diploma in Molecular Biology in 2006.
She obtained her PhD in Chemistry (PhD extraordinary award) at the Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (Zaragoza), under the supervision of Dr. Jesús Martínez de la Fuente and Dra. Valeria Grazú. Her doctoral research focused on i) understanding how the grafting molecules and their density could affect the biological fate of the nanoparticles and ii) the development of highly active magnetic nanoparticles-antibody conjugates for the development of more sensitive biosensors. After completing her PhD (September 2012), she returned to work at the Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon, hired as a postdoctoral researcher for the NANOPUZZLE ERC Starting Grant project. The grand aim of the project was the developing of an innovative and versatile methodology for controlled drug release by means of magnetic hyperthermia. In September 2015 she was awarded with a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship to work at the Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (ISASI-CNR) in Naples (Italy) in the laboratory of Dr. Claudia Tortiglione. The Hyheat project involved the use of an invertebrate model organism (Hydra vulgaris) to screen the effects of gold nanoparticles after laser irradiation. This model is ideal for toxicological and regenerative purposes and also provides worthy data before reaching vertebrate animals, without posing ethical issues. In 2018 she was awarded with a Juan de la Cierva Incorporacion Fellowship (Aragón Materials Science Institute-CSIC). In 2019 she has been awarded with a ERC Starting Grant. Maria carries out her independent research within the BioNanoSurf Group lead by Prof. Jesús Martinez de la Fuente (ICMA-CSIC/UNIZAR).
Bionanosurf
