Francesco Schiavone

I am currently a postgraduate research fellow at Politecnico di Torino, where I work under the supervision of Prof. Valeria Chiono. My research focuses on the development of RNA-based nanotechnologies for potential cardiac therapies. I obtained both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, graduating with honors in Bionanotechnologies in July 2023. During my Master’s thesis at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Pontedera, I worked on polydopamine nanoparticles, investigating their antioxidant potential for rare mitochondrial diseases as well as their photothermal properties for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. Following graduation, I continued at IIT as a research fellow, where I gained hands-on experience in nanoparticle synthesis, cell culture (including patient-derived models), and ex ovo studies using quail embryos. My research interests lie in nanomedicine, with a particular focus on the design of smart nanoparticles to modulate cellular behavior through physical and chemical cues.