Raluca Fratila Lab
Laboratory led by Raluca Fratila within the Bionanosurf research group.
Lab summary
Raluca Fratila’s research focuses on developing bioorthogonal click chemistry reactions for nanotechnology applications. She pioneered the use of bioorthogonal chemistry to covalently immobilize magnetic nanoparticles on the surface of living cells to investigate sub-lethal magnetic hyperthermia in cellular systems and understand how membrane-localized heating affects subcellular signalling pathways and the biophysics of cell membranes.
In parallel, the lab applies bioorthogonal strategies to immobilize magnetic nanoparticles on cell membranes for magneto-mechanical actuation, including the activation of mechanosensitive ion channels.
Team
Mariarosaria de Simone
Pre doc
Christian Castro Hinojosa
Pre doc
Sara Huerta Cebollada
Pre doc
Lab quick facts
- ORCID: 0000-0001-5559-8757
Selected projects
- Inducción Magnética de Muerte Tumoral desencadenada por la apertura de canales iónicos (ALADDIN) Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2024. PI: María Moros (2025–2028).
- Senolytic nanoplatform to target and eliminate skin cancer zombie cells (NANO4ZOMBIE) M-ERA.NET 3 cofund 2022. PI CSIC: María Moros (2023–2026), role: coordinator.
- CALYPSO - LoCALized magnetic hYPerthermia for direct intracellular delivery to avoid endoSOmal entrapment Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Proyectos de Consolidación Investigadora 2023. PI: Raluca M. Fratila. 2024-2026, 126,400 EUR.
- GALACTIC - Remote GAting of Piezo1 channeLs with mAgnetiC nanoparTICle actuators Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2021. PIs: María Moros and Raluca M. Fratila. 2022-2025, 168,190 EUR.
- IMASUS, Imagineering Sustainable Fashion Role: Coordinator, European Union, ERASMUS+,2024-26, 250k € total, PI Lucía Gutiérrez
Latest publications
-
MagPiezo: A Magnetogenetic Platform for Remote Activation of Endogenous Piezo1 Channels in Endothelial CellsAdvanced Functional Materials · April 1, 2026
-
Precise-engineering of monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles with low-level of cobalt doping for enhanced MRI contrast performanceMaterials & Design · February 1, 2026
-
Heat up, silence on: IDO1 gene silencing in THP-1-derived dendritic cells triggered by magnetic hyperthermiaCancer Immunology, Immunotherapy · August 23, 2025
-
Nanoparticle-assisted targeting of heart lesions with cardiac myofibroblasts: Combined gene and cell therapyTheranostics · March 18, 2025
-
Nanomaterials in biotechnology – Current topicsJanuary 1, 2025