Malgorzata Kujawska

Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland

Title: Perspectives of a graphene-based dual approach combining therapeutic function and drug carrier in Parkinson’s disease

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Biography

Malgorzata Kujawska is an Associate Professor at Poznan University of Medical Sciences. She graduated with an MSc. and Ph.D. with a postdoctoral degree in pharmaceutical sciences. Dr. Kujawska is a recipient of the 2020 Matsumae International Foundation Research Fellowship Program. She completed workshops at Stanford University within the "Top 500 Innovators" program and an internship at NASA Ames Research Center. Dr. Kujawska is in the Top 1% of reviewers, according to Publons, and a member of an editorial board and review panels for scientific journals. She also served as a scientific evaluator for agencies financing R&D activities in the field of pharmaceutical technologies.

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization reports, neurodegenerative diseases will be one of the significant issues of the 21st century. Parkinson’s disease (PD), characterized by motor dysfunction, is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. PD's pathological hallmark is an accumulation of misfolded ?-synuclein (ASN) aggregates, which spread in the brain over time. A growing body of evidence supports that ASN pathology might initially be triggered by exogenous assault targeting the gut and invades the brain via “prion-like” transport through the vagus nerve. Since the progressive cascade of events plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the ?-synucleinopathy, targeting the infectious ASN aggregation, also outside the central nervous system, has being explored as a potential disease-modifying treatment. Graphene, one of the most promising nanomaterials in biomedical application, has recently been adopted in the research targeting infectious ASN aggregates. Functionalized graphene quantum dots can directly interact with active domains of abnormal ASN to stop its “prion-like” propagation or even lead to defibrillation of already existed aggregates. Moreover, they have the capability to facilitate transport therapeutics through the blood-brain barrier. The dual strategy combining drug carrier and therapeutic function may be of significance graphene-based targeted delivery system for PD modifying therapy and represents an entirely new approach to treating this disease.