Press release -
With faster cell modeling towards the vaccine and cure for COVID-19
Study of the Politecnico di Milano and the Università degli Studi di Milano
Researchers from the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta" of the Politecnico di Milano and the Pediatric Research Center, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "L. Sacco ”, University of Milan have recently published an article in the scientific journal Theranostics, which will help the international scientific community to understand the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to develop vaccines and therapeutic agents against COVID-19.
Starting from a careful analysis of the frontier technological tools by which infections are studied and new drugs and vaccines are tested, the researchers have come to affirm that the most suitable ones, and therefore those that could accelerate the discovery and preclinical development of antiviral drugs and vaccines for COVID-19, are undoubtedly the most innovative modeling tools such as 3D supports for cell cultures, microfluidic chambers for the culture of organoids and intravital microscopy in animals.
Specifically, the authors indicate some excellent research tools for this purpose, developed in the last ten years by the research group of Professor Manuela T. Raimondi of the Politecnico di Milano as part of the three ERC projects coordinated by her (NICHOID, NICHOIDS and MOAB): artificial niches for stem cell culture, microfluidic bioreactors for tissue culture, and miniaturised imaging windows for intravital microscopy.
Some of these devices are already used for research on neurodegenerative diseases in collaboration with the group of Dr. Stephana Carelli at the Pediatric Research Center of the University of Milan. In addition, the team of Prof. Raimondi at the Politecnico di Milano has developed a lymph node model engineered inside a miniaturised bioreactor called MOAB, which allows to study immunization mechanisms such as those produced by vaccines. These research tools are much more realistic than conventional ones and could even replace much of the pre-clinical research currently conducted on animals.
Topics
Categories
Politecnico di Milano is a scientific-technological university which trains engineers, architects and industrial designers.
The University has always focused on the quality and innovation of its teaching and research, developing a fruitful relationship with business and productive world by means of experimental research and technological transfer.
Research has always been linked to didactics and it is a priority commitment which has allowed Politecnico Milano to achieve high quality results at an international level as to join the university to the business world. Research constitutes a parallel path to that formed by cooperation and alliances with the industrial system.
Knowing the world in which you are going to work is a vital requirement for training students. By referring back to the needs of the industrial world and public administration, research is facilitated in following new paths and dealing with the need for constant and rapid innovation. The alliance with the industrial world, in many cases favored by Fondazione Politecnico and by consortiums to which Politecnico belong, allows the university to follow the vocation of the territories in which it operates and to be a stimulus for their development.
The challenge which is being met today projects this tradition which is strongly rooted in the territory beyond the borders of the country, in a relationship which is developing first of all at the European level with the objective of contributing to the creation of a single professional training market. Politecnico takes part in several research, sites and training projects collaborating with the most qualified European universities. Politecnico's contribution is increasingly being extended to other countries: from North America to Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe. Today the drive to internationalization sees Politecnico Milano taking part into the European and world network of leading technical universities and it offers several courses beside many which are entirely taught in English.
