Graphene is raising tremendous interest in the biomedical field. Indeed is being explored for many potential medical applications, particularly for cancer treatment, due to its exceptional physicochemical characteristics. In this presentation, I will illustrate the biological impact of few-layer graphene (FLG) on human immune primary cell populations. FLG have a specific impact on monocytes showing neither toxic nor activation effects on the other types of immune cells. Thanks to this intrinsic biological property, FLG was further explored in a therapeutic application towards neoplastic monocytes, obtained from myelomonocytic leukemia patients. FLG have the unique ability to target and successfully boost the necrosis of monocytic cancer cells. Moreover, the comparison between FLG and the common chemotherapeutic drug, etoposide, confirmed the specificity and higher toxicity of graphene on cancer cells. These findings open the way to a possible application of FLG as a specifically targeted tool against monocytic tumour cells.

Graphene is raising tremendous interest in the biomedical field. Indeed is being explored for many potential medical applications, particularly for cancer treatment, due to its exceptional physicochemical characteristics. In this presentation, I will illustrate the biological impact of few-layer graphene (FLG) on human immune primary cell populations. FLG have a specific impact on monocytes showing neither toxic nor activation effects on the other types of immune cells. Thanks to this intrinsic biological property, FLG was further explored in a therapeutic application towards neoplastic monocytes, obtained from myelomonocytic leukemia patients. FLG have the unique ability to target and successfully boost the necrosis of monocytic cancer cells. Moreover, the comparison between FLG and the common chemotherapeutic drug, etoposide, confirmed the specificity and higher toxicity of graphene on cancer cells. These findings open the way to a possible application of FLG as a specifically targeted tool against monocytic tumour cells.