Nanotechnology for biomedical applications and biosensors

Incorporation of functionalised and modified nanostructures in various biomedical applications has generated considerable research interest in recent years. The applications of nanotechnology in medicine and biomedical engineering are vast and spans areas such as implant and tissue engineering, diagnosis and therapy.
This course is intended to provide the student with a general background in the field of nanotechnology applied to biological systems and biomedical applications. In particular, during the course different typologies of nanoparticles will be described focusing on their employment as drug delivery systems, diagnostic probes and sensors for the study of biological interactions.
The course is ideally linked to those dealing with chemistry and materials science.

After following this course, the students are expected to:
- have acquired a general knowledge about the use of nanotechnologies in biomedical applications
- have understood the general structure and working mechanism of biosensors
- have acquired a basic knowledge about the preparation and functionalization of different typologies of nanoparticles
- have understood the advantages and disadvantages of using different typologies of nanoparticles according to the application
- have acquired the technical vocabulary needed to critically read research articles and to present them in oral and written forms.