Functional Molecular Systems

Pro-drugs for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases

Traditional cancer chemotherapy lacks any intrinsic selectivity and it is very often accompanied by systemic toxicity to the patient. To circumvent such an inconvenience, we have made novel pro-drugs which are activated under specific conditions on the tumoral micro-environment. We have also focused on multi-target pro-drugs for neurodegenerative diseases.

Smart drug carriers

Targeted delivery approach is the long sought aim of drug delivery. In this regard, we have designed and built several nano-carriers in order to transport and release compounds specifically under a biologically relevant stimulus.

Molecular sensors and Theranostics

Detecting a specific compound among a plethora of other molecules is highly relevant in biomedical research and in several other fields. Additionally it is a truly scientific challenge.

Novel Responsive Functional Materials

We design and build new polymers which are able to trap pollutants from water, and eventually degrade into harmless substances. We also manufacture responsive nano and microstructures which can be post-functionalized.