Overview -- Antimicrobial Peptides: Mechanism of Action, Selectivity and Biological Activity -- Introduction -- Techniques -- Materials and Methods -- Results and Discussion -- Hydrogel Nanoparticles for Enzyme-Based Therapies -- Introduction -- Materials and Methods -- Results and Discussion -- Concluding Remarks.

In her thesis, Sara Bobone outlines spectroscopic studies of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) which are promising lead compounds for drugs used to fight multidrug resistant bacteria. Bobone shows that AMPs interact with liposomes and she clarifies the structure of pores formed by one of these molecules. These results help us to understand how AMPs are selective for bacterial membranes and how their activity can be finely tuned by modifying their sequence. Findings which solve several conundrums debated in the literature for years. In addition, Bobone uses liposomes as nanotemplates for the photopolymerization of hydrogels - exploiting the self- assembly properties of phospholipids. Bobone was able to trap an enzyme using nanometeric particles, while still allowing its activity by the diffusion of substrates and products through the network of the polymer. The innovative nanodevices described in this thesis could solve many of the hurdles still hampering the therapeutic application of protein-based drugs.