RECENT PUBLICATIONS: Seeing is believing but quantifying is deciding

INEB researchers recently published an Invited Editorial in Nanomedicine (Lond.), available since 2015 August [Epub 2015 Jul 31]. The editorial is entitled "Seeing is believing but quantifying is deciding" and is authored by Cátia D. F. Lopes, Maria Gomez-Lazaro and Ana Paula Pêgo.

IMAGE: Maria Gomez-Lazaro, Ana Paula Pêgo and Cátia D. F. Lopes, from left to right.

In this editorial it is highlighted the great advances and methodologies used in the nanomedicine to overcome the main drawbacks encountered when studying nanoparticle delivery efficiency, specific cell targeting, safety and functional outcome. Classical 2D in vitro systems are commonly used to perform these studies but they are far from representing the complexity of the animal models. Also, even using animal models to study nanoparticle internalization and localization there is a major problem arising with the lack of resolution with the tools available for in vivo studies. But better resolution can be obtained with 2D in vitro systems. In this regard new methodologies and recently developed in vitro models aiming at recapitulating tissue complexity are employed to aid in the study of the above proposed questions that might better predict what happens in the animal.