Biography

Prof. Bottini received a degree in Electronic Engineering summa cum laude in 2000 and a PhD in Sensorial and Learning Systems in 2004 at the University of Rome Tor Vergata (UTV, Rome). He did his post-doctoral training at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP, La Jolla, USA) from 2004 to 2009 in the laboratory of Prof. Tomas Mustelin. During that period of time, he also held the position of Director of the SBP Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Imaging Center. He earned a promotion to Assistant Professor at the Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery of the UTV in 2009 and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases Research Center of SBP in 2012. Since 2015, he has been an Associate Professor at the Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery of UTV. He is also an Affiliate Associate Professor at the Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases Research Center of SBP since 2016 and a Visiting Professor at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS, Beijing, China) since 2017. He has also been an Adjunct Investigator at the NanoTumor Center of the Moores Cancer Center of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD, La Jolla, USA) from 2006 to 2011.

Research Activity

Prof. Bottini currently leads the laboratory of “Biochemistry & Nanomedicine” at the Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery of the University of Rome Tor Vergata (UTV, Rome). He has been the recipient of fellowships/grants from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF), the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative (CAS-PIFI), the European Commission and the UTV. His research is mostly focused on the development of nanoparticles (NPs) to improve the delivery of drugs to diseased tissues. He has also been investigating the biologic interactions of NPs and the biochemical and biophysical properties of extracellular vesicles regulating bone mineralization.

Prof. Bottini has published 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals with impact factor (IF) and 5 book chapters [Total IF=230; H index= 20 (WoS); Number of citations>1600 (WoS)]. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology, as an editorial board member for ChemMedChem and Precision Nanomedicine, and as ad hoc reviewer for several journals, including Nature Reviews Rheumatology, ACS Nano and Advanced Functional Materials. In 2016 he guest edited a special section titled “Targeted nanosystems as therapeutic and diagnostic tools” in Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine.

Research Programs as a PI

Agency: University of Rome Tor Vergata – Mission Sustainability.
Dates: 04/2018 – 10/2019
Title: Development of a chondrocyte-targeted nanovector for the local cure of osteoarthritis
Short description: The goal of this grant is to develop targeted nanoparticles to deliver drugs into chondrocytes of a mouse model of age-associated osteoarthritis.
Agency: Chinese Academy of Science – President’s International Fellowship Initiative (CAS-PIFI).
Dates: 10/2017 – 03/2018
Title: Albumin-based nanoparticles for delivery of anti-arthritic drugs
Short description: The goal of this fellowship is to enable Prof. Bottini to visit the Chinese Academy of Science (Beijing, China) and improve his skill in the fabrication and characterization of albumin-based nanoparticles and their use to deliver of drugs in inflamed joints.
Agency: Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF)
Dates: 08/2011 – 07/2012 and 08/2012 – 07/2013 (renewal)
Title: Nanosystem for targeting T_reg in vivo
Short description: The goal of this career development grant is to develop a nanosystem to deliver drugs into specific cell sub-populations residing in arthritic joints.
Agency: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
Dates: 09/2009 – 08/2010
Title: Nanosystem for T cell specific knock-down of PTPN22
Short description: The goal of this grant is to develop a nanosystem to deliver nanoparticles loaded with gene inhibitors against the protein tyrosine phosphatase N22 (PTPN22) into T cells.

Awards

2017 – CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative for Visiting Scientists
2016 – Travel Grant (Arthritis National Research Foundation, USA)
2016 – Guest Editor of the special Section titled “Targeted nanosystems as therapeutic and diagnostic tools” on Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine (IF 5.7, Elsevier)
2015 – Travel Grant (Arthritis National Research Foundation, USA)
2012 – The John Vaughan Scholar (Arthritis National Research Foundation, USA)
2011 – The John Vaughan Scholar (Arthritis National Research Foundation, USA)

Other Activities

Prof. Bottini has organized thematic sessions at international meetings, including the session on “Nanomedicine” at the conference “Energy Materials and Nanotechnology” (Cancun, Mexico) in 2015 and 2016 and the session on “Arthritis Nanomedicine” at the CLINAM (Basel, Switzerland) in 2017.

Selected Publications

• Chen J., Liu L., Mohammad Motevalli S., Wu X., Yang X.-H., Li X., Han L., Magrini A., Guo W., Chang J., Bottini M., Liang X.-J. Light-triggered retention and cascaded therapy of albumin-based theranostic nanomedicines to alleviate tumor adaptive treatment tolerance. Advanced Functional Materials. In press.
• Bottini M., Mebarek S., Anderson K.L., Strzelecka-Kiliszek A., Bożycki Ł., Simão A.M.S., Bolean M., Ciancaglini P., Bandorowicz Pikula J., Pikula S., Magne D., Volkmann N., Hanein D., Millán J.L., Buchet R. Matrix vesicles from chondrocytes and osteoblasts: their biogenesis, properties, functions and biomimetic models. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – General Subjects. [Epub ahead of print].
• Bhattacharya K., Sacchetti C., Costa P.M., Sommertune J., Brandner B.D., Magrini A., Rosato N., Bottini N., Bottini M., Fadeel B. Nitric oxide-dependent degradation of polyethylene glycol-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes: Implications for intra-articular delivery. Advanced Healthcare Materials. [Epub ahead of print].
• Palmieri G., Rinaldi A., Campagnolo L., Tortora M., Mattei M., Notargiacomo A., Rosato N., Bottini M., Cavalieri F. Hyaluronic acid nanoporous microparticles with long in vivo joint residence time and sustained release. Particle & Particle Systems Characterization 2017; 34 (6); 1600411.
• Bolean M., Borin R.A., Simão A.M.S., Bottini M., Bagatolli L.A., Hoylaerts M.F., Millán J.L., Ciancaglini P. Topographic analysis by atomic force microscopy of proteoliposomes matrix vesicle mimetics harboring TNAP and AnxA5. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Biomembranes. 2017; 1859(10): 1911-1920.
• Bhattacharya K., Mukherjee S.P., Gallud A., Burkert S.C., Bistarelli S., Bellucci S., Bottini M., Star A., Fadeel B. Biological interactions of carbon-based nanomaterials: from coronation to degradation. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine. 2016; 12(2): 333-351
• Bottini M., Bhattacharya K., Fadeel B., Magrini A., Bottini N., Rosato N. Nanodrugs to target articular cartilage: an emerging platform for osteoarthritis therapy. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine. 2016; 12(2): 255-268.
• Chaudhary S.C., Kuzynski M., Bottini M., Beniash E., Dokland T., Mobley C.G., Yadav M.C., Poliard A., Kellerman O., Millán J.L., Napierala D. Phosphate induces formation of matrix vesicles during odontoblast-initiated mineralization in vitro. Matrix Biology. 2016; 52-54: 284-300.
• Yadav M.,^* Bottini M.,^* Cory E., Bhattacharya K., Kuss P., Narisawa, S., Sah R.L., Beck L., Fadeel B., Farquharson C., Millán J.L. Skeletal mineralization deficits and impaired biogenesis and function of chondrocyte-derived matrix vesicles in phospho1^-/- and phospho1/Pi t1 double-knockout mice. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 2016; 31(6): 1275-1286. ^* = equal contribution. (volume cover page)
• Bottini M., Magrini A., Fadeel B., Rosato, N. Tackling chondrocyte hypertrophy with multifunctional nanoparticles. Gene Therapy. 2016; 23(7): 560-564.
• Kuzynski M., Goss M., Bottini M., Yadav M.C., Mobley C., Winters T., Poliard A., Kellermann O., Lee B., Millán J.L., Napierala D. Dual role of the Trps1 transcription factor in dentin mineralization. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2014; 289(40): 27481-27493.
• Bhattacharya K., Sacchetti C., El-Sayed R., Fornara A., Kotchey G.P., Gaugler J.A., Star A., Bottini M., Fadeel B. Enzymatic ‘stripping’ and degradation of PEGylated carbon nanotubes. Nanoscale. 2014; 6(24): 14686-14690.
• Sacchetti C., Liu-Bryan R., Magrini A., Rosato N., Bottini N., Bottini M. Polyethylene-glycol-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes for intra-articular delivery to chondrocytes. ACS Nano. 2014; 8(12): 12280-12291.
• Bottini M., Sacchetti C., Pietroiusti A., Bellucci S., Magrini A., Rosato N., Bottini N. Targeted nanodrugs for cancer therapy: prospects and challenges. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. 2014 Jan; 14 (1): 98-114.
• Campagnolo L., Massimiani M., Palmieri G., Bernardini R., Sacchetti C., Bergamaschi A., Vecchione L., Magrini A., Bottini M., Pietroiusti A. Biodistribution and toxicity of single wall carbon nanotubes in pregnant mice. Particle and Fibre Toxicology, 2013; 10(1): 21.
• Sacchetti C., Rapini N., Magrini A., Cirelli E., Bellucci S., Mattei M., Rosato N., Bottini N., Bottini M. In vivo targeting of intra-tumor regulatory T cells using PEG-modified single walled carbon nanotubes. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2013; 24(6): 852-858.
• Sacchetti C., Motamedchaboki K., Magrini A., Palmieri G., Mattei M., Bernardini S., Rosato N., Bottini N., Bottini M. Surface PEG conformation influences the protein corona of PEG-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes: potential implications on biological performance. ACS Nano, 2013; 7(3):1974-1989.
• Rapini N., Bottini N., Bottini M. Nanocarriers of antisense oligonucleotides in diabetes. Nanotechnology and nanomedicine in diabetes. Editor Preedy V.R., King’s College London, London (UK). 2012
• Delogu L.G., Magrini A., Bergamaschi A., Rosato N., Dawson M.I., Bottini N., Bottini M. Conjugation of antisense oligonucleotides to PEGylated carbon nanotubes enables efficient knock-down of PTPN22 in T lymphocytes. Bioconjugate Chemistry. 2009; 20(3): 427-431.

Teaching – link to Didattica Web

Prof. Bottini teaches Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Rome Tor Vergata (UTV, Rome) and Nanomedicine at the Faculty of Medical Engineering of the same campus. He also holds yearly courses about the applications of nanomedicine at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil) and University of the Chinese Academy of Sceinces (UCAS, Beijing, China).