Winner: 2023 Felix Franks Biotechnology Medal
Dr Maria Chiara Arno
University of Birmingham
For her outstanding contributions in advancing 乐天堂app下载 understanding of material-cell interactions.
乐天堂app下载 recipient of 乐天堂app下载 2023 RSC Felix Franks Biotechnology Medal was Dr Maria Chiara Arno, of 乐天堂app下载 School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham.
Maria Chiara received 乐天堂app下载 award for her outstanding contributions in advancing 乐天堂app下载 understanding of material-cell interactions.
Maria Chiara received her Masters鈥� degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Technology at 乐天堂app下载 University of Padova in 2011 and her PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at King鈥檚 College London in 2015. Since 乐天堂app下载n, she has been a Research Fellow at 乐天堂app下载 University of Warwick and 乐天堂app下载n from 2020 a Birmingham Fellow and Assistant Professor in Polymeric Biomaterials at 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham.
As a PDRA, Maria Chiara brought a new skill set (evaluation of materials鈥� biological performance in vitro and in vivo) to Prof. Dove鈥檚 research group at Warwick, leading a new research strand in precision biomaterials design. This had a transformative impact in 乐天堂app下载 group鈥檚 research, moving 乐天堂app下载 focus from fundamental materials chemistry to its application in biologically relevant settings (e.g., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 9178-9182; Biomacromolecules 2018, 19, 3427-3434; Biomaterials 2018, 180, 184-192; Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 3250; Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 2460).
Among her most significant contributions has been 乐天堂app下载 development of a technique to precisely control 乐天堂app下载 morphology and size of semi-crystalline nanoparticles in water. This research (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2017, 139, 16980-16985) represents 乐天堂app下载 first report on 乐天堂app下载 biological application of nanostructures prepared by crystallisation-driven self-assembly, allowing 乐天堂app下载 application of this technology in 乐天堂app下载 fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering towards to an entirely new class of biomaterials. Building on this original idea, she has pioneered 乐天堂app下载 concept of 2D nanoparticles as tissue adhesives (Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 1420). Her studies have significantly advanced our understanding of how nanomaterials鈥� interactions with biological systems can be exploited to engineer living materials.
Maria Chiara has established independent collaborations across universities and companies in 乐天堂app下载 UK and worldwide. As an example, she was awarded a Researcher Mobility Grant in 2018 to visit 乐天堂app下载 University of Queensland to establish a new research collaboration (Biomater. Sci. 2023, accepted; ACS Cent. Sci. 2018, 4, 718-723; Nanomaterials 2021, 11, 1745).
She has proven herself to be an inspired leader with a unique multidisciplinary approach, bridging 乐天堂app下载 interface of supramolecular chemistry and chemical biology, that crosses 乐天堂app下载 traditional biotechnology and materials chemistry boundaries.
Maria Chiara was presented 乐天堂app下载 award after her lecture at 乐天堂app下载 RSC MIBIO2023 meeting "Stability of Biopharmaceuticals: From Molecular Interactions to Successful Products" held on 18th October 2023 at Downing College Cambridge.