The aim of the BioMNP project is to understand, at a molecular level, the interactions between surface-functionalised metal nanoparticles and biological membranes, using cutting-edge computational techniques and new molecular models.

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) are playing an increasingly important role in pharmaceutical and medical technology as diagnostic or therapeutic tools. Today, they can be designed in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and compositions and functionalised with a virtually unlimited number of molecules. Despite these technological advances, the molecular processes governing the interaction between metallic nanoparticles and cells are still poorly understood.

Cell membranes represent the first barrier that nanoparticles encounter when entering a living organism. Understanding and controlling the interactions between nanoparticles and biological membranes is therefore crucial for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying their biological effects.

BioMNP aims to advance the state of the art by elucidating the complex role played by the size, composition, functionalisation and aggregation state of nanoparticles during their interaction with model biological membranes. In turn, the membranes will be modelled with an increasing level of complexity, taking into account both lipid composition and the different phases of the membrane.

The project utilises state-of-the-art simulation techniques and computing infrastructure, developing new coarse-grained models based on more detailed atomistic simulations, to study the interactions between nanoparticles and membranes across an extremely wide range of spatial and temporal scales.

BioMNP also benefits from significant complementary experimental collaborations, offering interpretations of available experimental data and formulating predictions to guide the design of functional and non-toxic metallic nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

The project aims to address fundamental questions at the interface between physics, biology and chemistry. The results have significant implications for the fields of nanomedicine, toxicology, nanotechnology and materials science.