Our latest work, published in Journal of Controlled Release, shows that senolytic-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) can selectively eliminate senescent Brain Endothelial Cells (BECs), helping restore blood-brain barrier (BBB) function during aging.
The NPs are internalized by both healthy and senescent BECs, but only senescent cells possess enough SA-β-gal activity to break them down and release their senolytic payload. The result is a highly selective strategy to remove dysfunctional cells and restore BBB integrity.
This paper marks the 2nd chapter of my PhD story in Dr. Lino Ferreira’s group at Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology. A project that took me from Coimbra to Minnesota and Barcelona, working with the fantastic teams of Dr. Diana Jurk (Mayo Clinic Rochester) and Dr. Jordi Gracia-Sancho, MSc PhD FAASLD (Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS)).
A special thank you to Vitor Francisco for his mentorship and unwavering support throughout this journey.
Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/eWQchtnR