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SISSA, the International School of Advanced Studies, was founded in 1978 and is a scientific center of excellence within the national and international academic scene. Located in Italy, in the city of Trieste, it features 82 professors, 97 post-docs, 283 PhD students and 114 technical administrative staff. 

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At Neuron Physiology and Technology Lab, in SISSA (Trieste) our aim is to investigate the biological processes influenced by nanomaterials and nanomaterials interaction with biological membranes. The goal is to develop a new generation of multifunctional implantable materials targeted to the treatment/repair, for example, of spinal cord lesion. By the convergence among different fields like nanotechnologies, polymer science and neurophysiology research, we test nanostructure-bio-hybrid synthetic implants in cultured hippocampal neuronal networks to address multiple key design criteria, such as biocompatibility, bioactivity and electrical conductivity. The morphology of neuronal networks interfaced to nanomaterials is reconstructed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or confocal microscopy while patterns of activity is measured by single and multiple electrophysiological measures or by calcium-imaging.