The Marie Skłodowska Curie Action (MSCA) Global Fellowship “Mapping the skin-immune interactions of novel 2d materials: MXenes” (SEE) aims to provide a thorough evaluation of the skin impact and possible immunomodulation of a wide variety of the new two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials transition metal carbides/carbonitrides (MXenes).
MXenes are emergent 2D materials with a wide variety of structures and compositions. To promote the Safe and Healthy use of ‘Future and Emerging Technologies’, such as the innovative 2D materials MXenes, studying their biocompatibility and immunomodulatory effects upon skin exposure is of fundamental importance. Indeed, cutaneous exposure represents one of the main exposure routes to nanomaterials during their production, but also for translational medicine and nanotechnology applications, in particular those requiring cutaneous contact. In this view, the prospect of biomedical tools, including skin cancer theranostics and wound healing tools, as well as wearable or implantable bioelectronics using MXenes, has gained traction. However, there is a paucity of data on the impact of MXene at the skin and immune level. No study was able to provide a broad picture of the cutaneous impact and the related immunological effects of a wide variety of well-characterized MXenes, exploring the immune interactions of several immune cell populations with the materials. To date, no research group has provided a harmonized cutting-edge method for the classification of MXenes based not only on their chemical and physical characteristics but also on their skin immunological responses and potential immunotoxicity.
The overall goal of the project is to overcome the aforementioned limits of conventional skin nano-immunotoxicology approaches and knowledge, providing a comprehensive picture of MXene skin immunology in relation to the structural properties (e.g., shape, size, functionalization, etc.) of the materials. Therefore it is critical to provide an innovative library of MXenes in relation not only to their physicochemical properties but also to their skin-immune interactions, investigating the potential molecular mechanisms underlying their impact at the cutaneous level.
To this end, the SEE project aims to i) synthesize and characterize MXenes with different physical and chemical properties; ii) evaluate MXene cutaneous compatibility and immune profiling, and iii) correlate skin-immune phenotype with MXene physicochemical properties.
Within SEE, the Fellow will introduce her own novel concept of “Nano-SkinImmunity-by-design”, where the analysis of the cutaneous effects when designing MXenes (and 2D materials) will not only be relevant for their safety but will also turn them into active tools for cutaneous applications endowed of immune properties, tailorable adjusting their physicochemical profile. By exploring these crucial aspects, SEE aims at incising the strategic field of MXenes and 2D materials as well as their role in biomedicine and nanotechnology at the European level and beyond.