Abstract
Carbon-based materials (CBMs), such as graphene, nanodiamonds, carbon fibers, and carbon dots, have attracted a great deal scientific attention due to their potential as biomedical tools. Following exposure, particularly intravenous injection, these nanomaterials can be recognized by immune cells. Such interactions could be modulated by the different physicochemical properties of the materials (e.g. structure, size, and chemical functions), by either stimulating or suppressing the immune response. However, a harmonized cutting-edge approach for the classification of these materials based not only on their physicochemical parameters but also their immune properties has been missing. The European Commission-funded G-IMMUNOMICS and CARBO-IMmap projects aimed to fill this gap, developing a functional pipeline for the qualitative and quantitative immune characterization of graphene, graphene-related materials (GRMs), and other CBMs. The goal was to open breakthrough perspectives for the definition of the immune profiles of these materials. Here, we summarize our methodological approach, key results, and the necessary multidisciplinary expertise ranging across various fields, from material chemistry to engineering, immunology, toxicology, and systems biology. G-IMMUNOMICS, as a partnering project of the Graphene Flagship, the largest scientific research initiative on graphene worldwide, also complemented the studies performed in the Flagship on health and environmental impact of GRMs. Finally, we present the nanoimmunity-by-design concept, developed within the projects, which can be readily applied to other 2D materials. Overall, the G-IMMUNOMICS and CARBO-IMmap projects have provided new insights on the immune impact of GRMs and CBMs, thus laying the foundation for their safe use and future translation in medicine.
Highlights
13 July 2020Arianna Gazzi1,2,21 , Laura Fusco1,2,3,21 , Marco Orecchioni, Silvia Ferrari, Giulia Franzoni6,
Graphene is one of the most renowned two-dimensional (2D) materials, characterized by a planar sheet of sp2–carbons arranged in a hexagonal lattice [1,2,3,4]
In our previous work, funded by the G-IMMUNOMICS project, we have demonstrated that the amino-functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) was able to drastically modulate the impact on human immune cells, improving the biocompatibility [24, 86]
Summary
Arianna Gazzi1,2,21 , Laura Fusco1,2,3,21 , Marco Orecchioni, Silvia Ferrari, Giulia Franzoni6,. Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany 9 Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden CNRS, Immunology, Immunopathology and Therapeutic Chemistry, UPR3572, University of Strasbourg, ISIS, Strasbourg, France Carbon Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, CIC BiomaGUNE, 20009, San Sebastian, Spain Institute for Materials Science and Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, TU Dresden, Germany Instituto Regional de Investigacion Científica Aplicada (IRICA) University of Castilla la Mancha, 1307, Ciudad Real, Spain Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via Piero Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy, a) Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (CNR-ISOF) Chalmers University of Technology, Industrial and Materials Science, Hörsalsvagen 7A, SE-412 96, Goteborg, Sweden School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden & Department of Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Technische Universitat Dresden, Dresden, Germany 18 Nanomedicine Lab, National Graphene Institute and Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, University of Manchester, AV Hill.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
