
Innovative (bio)sensors with plastic antibodies
Goreti Sales, Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade de Coimbra
Host: Maria Reis, UCIBIO NOVA
ZOOM link: https://ucibio.pt/l/GuestSeminars
Abstract:
(Bio)sensors combine (bio) recognition and transducer elements in a single device. The (bio)recognition element is responsible for the selectivity of the biosensor and has the ability to distinguish one target compound among several others. Many (bio)recognition elements can be used, including materials of natural or synthetic origin. Synthetic antibodies are synthetic biomimetic materials that have become an attractive alternative to natural antibodies in (bio)sensors. They are customised by imprinting a specific target molecule into a polymeric network and then releasing this molecule from the network. The resulting vacancies have a high affinity for the specific target molecule used for the imprinting due to complementary spatial and electrostatic interactions. The combination of (bio)sensors and plastic antibodies has a long and successful scientific history, which has also been extended to the integration of renewable forms of energy to create self-powered devices. Several approaches have already been developed for this purpose. Some of these are photovoltaics and fuel cells, which will be discussed in this presentation. Acknowledgements: European Research Council, through Starting Grant 3P's/GA311086, and the European Commission, through Symbiotic/ FET -Open/H2020/GA665046 and MindGAP/FET -Open/H2020/GA829040.
Short CV:
Goreti Sales is Full Professor at Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade de Coimbra and is Coordinator of the BioMark@UC sensor research group. Her main research interests are on biomimetic nanomaterials and biosensing devices. She was awarded (in 2012) a Starting Grant by the European Research Council, targeting a new technical approach that merges biosensors with solar cells, and nominated by the European Innovation Council an EIC National Champion. She is the coordinator of the FET-Open project (H2020) MindGAP.