PLASMOSTEMFATE · In situ growth of thermoplasmonic nanoparticles in microfluidic platforms for modifying stem cell fate

The overarching goal of PLASMOSTEMFATE is to enable facile, inexpensive, and scalable fabrication of thermoplasmonic-microfluidic NSC culture platforms, posing transformational impacts in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, addressing UNESCO sustainable development goal 3 (good health and wellbeing) and Mission Cancer of Europes Beating Cancer Plan. Thermoplasmonic gold nanoparticles can generate localized heat in response to biologically transparent near-IR light and their size- and shape-related properties can be leveraged to non-invasively monitor and direct the lineage commitment of neural stem cells (NSCs). This action will deploy and develop unconventional in situ nanoparticle synthesis to form shape-controlled thermoplasmonic nanoparticles directly inside microfluidic devices. The proposed platforms will significantly advance the controlled implementation of micro- and nano- structures as tools for manipulating NSC behaviors, by systematically applying both controlled fluid flows and plasmonic enhanced heating to modulate the cell microenvironment. The action will be hosted by Prof. Luis Liz-Marzn at CIC biomaGUNE, with Prof. Stephanie Seidlits group at the University of Texas at Austin as a secondment. This multidisciplinary action relies on collected expertise in plasmonics, bottom-up nanoparticle synthesis, microfluidics, and NSC biology. My strong background in in situ synthesis, thermoplasmonic nanoparticle characterization, and microfluidics offer synergies with the host and secondment for generating new research lines and strengthening collaborations between the two institutions. Ultimately, this action will expand my scientific network internationally, enable me to hone my skills in the rational synthesis of plasmonic nanostructures and acquire knowledge in fundamental stem cell biology, improve my mentorship expertise, and lay the foundation for a successful career as an independent researcher at a top university or research center.