Chemical and biological nanosensors for biomedicine and the environment.

There is an urgent need for the development of sensors that can detect bacteria and antibiotics in low concentrations within various media such as foods and water so that we avoid a broader expose to the public. Such an approach could then be extended to provide rapid diagnostic tools for complex body fluids (blood, urine, sputum), enabling rapid and sensitive results and targeted therapies.
Aim:
The aim of this project is to develop new sensors based on nanoparticles and graphene oxide, which are able to detect the DNA related to specific types of bacteria as well as leftovers of antibiotics which could enter the food chain and the water. Based on previous work in our group (Kanaras, Muskens et al. ACS Nano 2018), the sensors will be portable and they will be able to detect more than one targets simultaneously and at the range of 5fM or less.
Objectives:
The objectives of the project will be:
a) to identify and synthesize the appropriate design of nanoparticles suitable to detect specific targets
b) to assemble the sensors, calibrate them and record the optical outputs.
c) to test the functionality of the sensors in complex media (e.g. blood, urine, milk and waste-water) and use the sensors in the field.