BROCCA PAOLA

Associate professor in Applied Physics at the Università degli Studi di Milano.Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslaziolale.
The research activity is directed to biophysics and nanotechnology in the field of biological soft matter.
- Soft colloidal systems studies involve membrane models and their interaction with proteins and polymers; self aggregating lipids and glycolipids; biological hydrogels and their interaction with nanomedicines of different nature. Research items have implication in neurological pathologies such as Alzheimer and phenylketonuria diseases.
- Structural studies of particles such as liposomes, polymer based or hybrid nanocarriers for the delivery of gene material and hydrophobic drugs are performed in collaboration with other Italian laboratories. Research items have implications in lung diseases treatment among which Cystic Fibrosis is the most relevant.
- Extracellular vesicle (EVs) has recently interested the research activity which is addressed to highlight their structural features and their behaviour in membrane fusion events.
- Research on fluid/fluid interfaces and surface active biomolecules at interface have recently been performed exploiting an interferometric techniques sensitive to very low surface concentrations.
Scattering and reflectometric techniques, by light, X-ray and neutron probes, together with High Resolution NMR, calorimetry, densitometry, Quartz Crystal Microbalance, Langmuir trough, are applied in the experimental work which is performed in the laboratories in Milano and at the European Large Scale Facilities for Synchrotron X-ray and neutron radiations applications.