Nano4Tarmed´s pilot researcher joining soon an Irish team
Jan Belza, a PhD student of physical chemistry, is one of two Nano4Tarmed´s “pilot” researchers selected from doctoral students that are soon going to join the research teams of partner institutions in Ireland and Italy. They will be investigating the different phases of an anti-cancer nanomaterial drug delivery process.
He will join the colleagues from Maynooth University in Ireland for a month during the upcoming semester. They will focus on the design and synthesis of platinum coordination complexes. These specially developed functional molecular drugs will be then taken over by a team of Regional Center of Advanced Technologies and Materials in Czechia where its researchers will work on their bioconjugation to nanoplatforms capable of targeting them to cancer tissue.
“My internship in Ireland is going to be an awesome challenge for me, significantly widening my scientific horizon,” shared Jan. “I´ve been focused mainly on nanomaterials so far. These are, compared to molecules, huge structures. Molecular synthesis will be a totally new experience for me. I am very much looking forward to getting in touch with coordination chemistry,” said Jan and added that he appreciated the Nano4Tarmed project especially for its aspiration to bring experiments from laboratories to concrete application. “This is what is missing in the nanomaterial world, and nanomedicine especially – bringing research from its publication to practical use. It is a very difficult process.”
Besides his research activities for Nano4Tarmed, Jan specializes in interaction of nanomaterials with cells and organic systems. Currently, he is investigating two dimensional carbides, so called MXenes, and their interesting property to absorb infrared light from a short distance, get heated and consequently destroy surrounding cells. This knowledge could be applied in cancer tissue treatment and so called photothermal therapy.