Pushing the Boundaries of Nanomedicine

Legendary physicist Richard Feynman famously said, “There’s plenty of room at the bottom.” For Dr. Riccardo Rampado, an international postdoctoral fellow at Tel Aviv University (TAU) working at the cutting edge of nanomedicine (and specifically mRNA drug delivery), this quote—originally about manipulating matter at the atomic and molecular levels—has become a guiding principle.

Like Feynman, Rampado truly believes that nanotechnology is more than just science; it is the key to unlocking new frontiers in medicine—from targeting diseased tissues with unprecedented precision to pioneering new ways of delivering genetic therapies.

From Padua to Tel Aviv: Expanding Nanomedicine Horizons

Rampado’s fascination with nanomedicine began during his time at the University of Padua in Italy, where he originally studied pharmacy but soon realized that his passion lay in research rather than traditional pharmaceutical practice. Immersing himself in the world of drug delivery, he explored biomimetic nanoparticles, or how particles derived from cell membranes could be designed to target inflammation.

Yet, a pivotal moment arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic when the world witnessed the unprecedented success of mRNA vaccine technology. This real-world demonstration of nucleic acid therapeutics captured Rampado’s imagination, prompting him to seek out an opportunity that would allow him to contribute to this cutting-edge field on a global stage.

“I turned my eye towards a postdoc that was first of all international, in order to expand my horizons and try to set up a network for my future career and at the same time that involved this technology.”

That search led him to TAU, where he joined Prof. Dan Peer—a recently elected fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors and TAU’s vice president of research and development—in his lab on precision nanomedicine. Rampado’s decision to join Peer proved to be transformative, placing him in an environment that offered not only vast resources but also an unparalleled collaborative spirit.

“At the very beginning, it was quite challenging. I found myself in a much bigger lab, with far more means at my disposal than in my previous university,” he recalls. “This required me to learn a lot, but with the help of Prof. Peer’s group, I was able to integrate into the team and get familiar with all the new techniques.”

A Breakthrough in mRNA Drug Delivery

Once Rampado gained his footing in Peer’s lab, his research then turned to demonstrating that by modifying the composition of lipid nanoparticles mRNA-based drugs could bypass the liver and be delivered directly to the inflamed gut. The advancement has profound implications for the treatment of conditions like inflammatory bowel diseases. “It was a sort of surprising finding,” Rampado admits, reflecting on the initial observation that different nanoparticle compositions resulted in altered biodistribution.

“By tweaking the lipid nanoparticle composition, we found that we could direct the delivery of mRNA to inflamed areas in the colon, something that could significantly improve treatment selectivity.”

This breakthrough was then published in Advanced Science. However, for Rampado, this is only the beginning. Now, his research is evolving in two critical directions: refining the precision of these nanoparticles to target other inflamed organs and unraveling the underlying mechanisms behind their selective biodistribution. “We are keeping all the particle components the same—just in different proportions. And somehow, that changes everything,” he says with enthusiasm. “Understanding why this happens could enable us to design even smarter drug delivery systems in the future.”

The Impact of TAU’s International Research Environment

Beyond the lab, Rampado credits the international atmosphere at TAU for shaping his growth as a scientist. “I have to stress how the environment I found here in Tel Aviv was essential for me,” he emphasizes.

“The group I worked with was key in helping me learn, integrate, and really flourish as both a researcher and a person.” 

Moreover, the exposure to colleagues from around the world has provided Rampado with invaluable networking opportunities and a broader perspective on scientific collaboration. “I’ve had the chance to work not only with Israelis, but with people from many different parts of the globe,” Rampado reflects. “I really hope to keep in contact and collaborate with them in the future, so we can continue to do good science together.”

After his postdoc at TAU is completed, Rampado hopes to eventually bring his expertise back to Italy and to the University of Padua, specifically—though he emphasizes that he is also open to other options. “Maybe one day, I can establish my own small group working in this field,” he muses. “There is still not a lot of attention to this kind of technology at Padua University, and I hope I can bring it myself.”

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