News

A new system to detect Cocaine at very low concentrations

Ramon Martínez Máñez, Scientific Director of the Unit 26 of NANBIOSIS, together with researchers from his group and the group led by Professor Liz Marzal, both CIBER-BBN groups, have developed a new method to detect cocaine and Mycoplasma in very low concentrations.

The method involves the combined use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles, molecular equipped with doors, and spectroscopy SERS (Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering) a signal amplification system that uses gold nanoparticles to detect very low concentrations of the substances tested. According to the tests that have been developed in the laboratory, in the case of cocaine it has allowed them to nanomolar levels of detection, and the Mycoplasma genomic DNA 30 copies/uL.

The detection system is based on the release of a dye easily identifiable spectroscopy SERS from inside silica nanoparticles, only when the species to be detected is present. “The pores of the nanoparticles are unblocked in the presence of cocaine and Mycoplasma or a dye that interacts with gold nanotriángulos is released, and is this interaction which is detected by SERS spectroscopy. The concentration of the substance to be detected is proportional to the detected signal”, says Ramon Martinez Máñez, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS.

Article of reference:

Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering and Materials for Sensing Applications Gated: The Ultrasensitive Detection of Mycoplasma and Cocaine. Oroval, M., Coronado-Püchau, M. Langer, J. Sanz-Ortiz, MN Ribes, A. Aznar, E. Coll, C. Marcos, M.D. Sancenón, F. Liz-Marzan, L. M., Martinez-Máñez, R. Chemistry-A European Journal. DOI: 10.1002 / chem.201602457

A new system to detect Cocaine at very low concentrations

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NANBIOSIS participates in the round table of the Working Day on Dissemination of ICTS, organized by the MINECO on September 19, 2016.

Jesus Izco, Coordinator of NANBIOSIS, together with seven representatives of ICTS (Singular Scientific Technological Infrastructures) were invited to share their experiences and ideas on the Communication and Dissemination of ICTS in a round table within a working day on Dissemination of ICTS. The debate and conclusions will be set out in a document issued by the MINECO, specifying the activities to be carried out in the medium and long term.

The event was presented by the General Director of R & D + I Policy, Maria Luisa Castaño Marin, and the General Director of the FECYT, José Ignacio Fernández Vera. Both stressed the importance of dissemination and public approach of the existence of ICTS Map and its role in the development of science in Spain as a strategic tool.

NANBIOSIS participates in the round table of the Working Day on Dissemination of ICTS

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Elisabeth Engel stimulating scientific talent in the Barcelona International Youth Science Challenge (BIYSC)

Dr. Engel, Scentific Director of Unit 5 of NANBIOSIS, participated in the Barcelona International Youth Science Challenge (BIYSC) held in Barcelona from July 11th to 22nd 2016. Ms. Elisabeth gave the lecture “Biomaterials beyond a simple template”, introducing the students to the breakthrough in the medical and social field of obtaining a synthetic biomaterial that eludes the need of cell therapy or the application of morphogens and growth factors.

The research group led by Elisabeth Engel hosted one of the projects of this programme: “Instructive Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine” dealing with replacement or regeneration of human cells, tissues or organs, to restore or establish their normal function where ten students took a course on angiogenesis.

BIYSC is an excellence programme, directed to undergraduate students, aged between 16 and 19 years-old, all around the with the purpose of stimulating scientific talent. It is a multidisciplinary programme (which includes several areas related with NANBIOSIS, like biotechnology, nanotechnology, biochemistry…) introduced by Catalunya – La Pedrera Foundation included lectures, workshops, scientific debates, and visits to international research centres.

Elisabeth Engel stimulating scientific talent in the Barcelona International Youth Science Challenge

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Symposium honouring Professor Conxita Solans. (ECIS Rome 2016)

In the frame of ECIS 2016, the 30th Conference of the European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS), Rome 4-9 September, 2016, a special Symposium honouring Conxita Solans was organized on September 8th – 2.00-5.00 pm. Conxita Solans, Scientific Director of Unit 12 of NANBIOSIS, has during many years been one of the leading scientists in the field of surfactants and dispersions. She has been very active in ECIS, presenting her research results at several conferences, being President and also organizing one ECIS meeting in Barcelona.

Nanbiosis-U12-Symposium honouring Professor Conxita Solans. Conference of the European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS), Rome 2016

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Chemical control over the energy-level alignment in a two-terminal junction

In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers of Nanomol group, led by the Scientific Director of Unit 6 of NANBIOSIS, Dr. Jaume Veciana have shown that the alignment of the energy levels in molecular bonds based on sel- assembled monolayers can be regulated through only chemical modifications.

The energy-level alignment of molecular transistors can be controlled by external gating to move molecular orbitals with respect to the Fermi levels of the source and drain electrodes. Two-terminal molecular tunnelling junctions, however, lack a gate electrode and suffer from Fermi-level pinning, making it difficult to control the energy-level alignment of the system. Here is where the researchers report an enhancement of 2 orders of magnitude of the tunnelling current in a two terminal junction via chemical molecular orbital control, changing chemically the molecular component between a stable radical and its non-radical form without altering the supramolecular structure of the junction. These are the findings that demonstrate that the energy-level alignment in self-assembled monolayer-based junctions can be regulated by purely chemical modifications, which seems an attractive alternative to control the electrical properties of two terminal junctions.

Article of reference:

Chemical control over the energy-level alignment in a two-terminal junction. Li Yuan, Carlos Franco, Núria Crivillers, Marta Mas-Torrent, Liang Cao, C.S. Suchand Sangeeth, Concepció Rovira, Jaume Veciana*, Christian A. Nijhuis*. Nature Communications.

Nanbiosis-U6-Chemical control over the energy-level alignment in a two-terminal junction

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DR. CONXITA SOLANS received the “Pierre Fillet” Prize 2016 awarded by the Formulation Group of the French Chemical Society (SCF)

Conxita Solans, Scientific Director of the Unit 12 NANBIOSIS, received last July 4 in the opening ceremony of the congress Formula VIII, the award Pierre Fillet 2016, given by the Formulation Group of the French Chemical Society (SCF).

The prize was awarded to Dr Solans in recognition to her contributions on formulation of colloidal systems, namely on the design and characterization of Nanostructured Liquids such as nano-emulsions, microemulsions, micelles, etc, developed through Unit 12 of NANBIOSIS.

Pierre Fillet was a major force behind formulation in France particularly and across Europe, he was one of the instigators of the first Formula conference held in Nice in 1987. The prize is awarded to a well-recognized researcher whose work led to significant developments of any topic in formulation.

DR. CONXITA SOLANS received the “Pierre Fillet” Prize 2016 awarded by the Formulation Group of the French Chemical Society (SCF)

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“MICELA PRIZE” by the Spanish Committee of Detergents, Surfactants and Related Products (CED) TO DR. CONXITA SOLANS

Dr. Conxita Solans, Scientific Director of the Unit 12 NANBIOSIS, has been awarded with the Micelle Prize, by the Spanish Committee of Detergents, Surfactants and Related Products (CED) The award was presented to Dr. Conxita Solans during the International Congress Formula VIII (Barcelona 4 to 7 July 2016),

The Formula Conferences cover all aspects in Formulation Sciences and Technologies and constitute a frame for knowledge transfer and dialogue between Academia and Industry. This annual event is organized jointly by various European Societies namely the French Chemical Society (SCF), the British Formulation Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FSTG/RSC), the German Society of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (DECHEMA, Germany), Scandinavia Chemical Societies (SP Chemistry) and the Spanish Group of Colloids and Interfaces of the Royal Societies of Chemistry and Physics (GECI/RSEQ-RSEF), as well as several companies (AKZO-NOBEL, BASF, BAYER and EVONIK, ensuring a truly and deep dialogue. The Formula VIII conference with the motto “Formulate your innovation. Innovate your formulation” has highlighted that technical innovation and scientific discoveries in the chemistry field are the driving forces to offer breaking new products to the market.

The Comité Español de la Detergencia, Tensioactivos y Afines (CED) founded in 1957, is an independent entity constituted by National associations and enterprises related to the detergency, cosmetics, and detergent raw material industry. The Micelle Award is to recognize the participation and contributions to the conference organized annually by the CED for 46 consecutive years.

“MICELA PRIZE” by the Spanish Committee of Detergents, Surfactants and Related Products (CED) TO DR. CONXITA SOLANS.

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Nanotechnology bio applications in the clinical diagnosis II: biosensor BiMW for the early diagnosis of bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients

The peritonitis bacterial spontaneous is an infection of the fluid ascetic that has high incidence in cirrhotic patients and is associated with a high mortality. In such situation, a diagnosis early is essential for the survival of the patient. However, the identification of the causative pathogen of infection is based currently on cultivation methods that are slow and laborious.

A research coordinated by the Group of Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical applications of the CIBER-BBN, which coordinates Unit 4 of NANBIOSIS led by Laura Lechuga, has presented the development of a biosensor interferometric based in guides bimodal (BiMW), capable of identify and quantify E. coli in liquid ascetic reaching some limits of detection below them 100 cfu /mL in only 15 min of analysis. These results demonstrate the great capacity of the biosensor BiMW as a new tool in the field clinical for the analysis microbial due to its ease use and its good relationship of cost-effectiveness and speed in the microbiological analysis.

Article of Reference: Label-free bimodal waveguide immunosensor for rapid diagnosis of bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients. Jesús Maldonado, Ana Belén González-Guerrero, Carlos Domínguez, Laura M.Lechuga. Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

Nanotechnology bio applications in the clinical diagnosis II biosensor BiMW for the early diagnosis of bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients

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Nanotechnology bio applications in the clinical diagnosis: nanoplasmodic biosensor device for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer

The group of Nano-biosensors and Bioanalytical applications of CIBER-BBN which coordinates Unit 4 of NANBIOSIS directed by Dr. Laura Lechuga, has led the final preparations of a technology with potential application in the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer, based in the detection of specific biomarkers in blood.
The nanoplasmonic biosensor based on LSPR (Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance) is generated on structured surfaces of nano discs of gold, that allow monitoring of biological interactions in real time and without the need of markers.
The nanoplasmonic biosensor allows analysis of human samples in a few minutes, without requiring reagents or additional instrumentation. The device is easy to use and its reduced dimensions offer an attractive opportunity for the development of point-of-care devices with potential to be used outside the laboratory.

Article of Reference: Label-free nanoplasmonic sensing of tumor-associate autoantibodies for early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.Maria Soler, M. Carmen Estevez, Roi Villar-Vázquez, J. Ignacio Casal, Laura M. Lechuga. Analytica Chimica Acta. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2016.04.059

Nanotechnology bio applications in the clinical diagnosis nanoplasmodic biosensor device for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer

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Synergies produced in NANBIOSIS multiply the value of its services and allow its users to have results with faster and superior reliability due to proven experience of the scientists and technicians involved, says Jaume Veciana, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS, in an interview at July 2016 CIBER-BBN Bulletin.

In this interview, Jaume Veciana assesses the functioning of this Singular Scientific-Technical Infrastructure and its contribution to research and anticipates some of the guidelines of the NANBIOSIS Strategic Plan 2017-2020, which includes a clear commitment to internationalization.

“The scientific-technical capabilities available at NANBIOSIS must be exploited without limitation to our country. Therefore we are clear that we must promote the activity of NANBIOSIS both academic and industrial sector in the European Union and other countries, either directly or in association with other similar organizations actions. Some such initiatives have already started but we believe it should be given further boost to internationalization. As an example we can mention the participation in the European project INFRAIA that aims to integrate regional and national research infrastructures existing in Europe under the Horizon 2020”

Professor Veciana also talks about NANOMOL, the research group coordinator of Unit 6 of NANBIOSIS, and the main applications of their findings in the fields of nanomedicine and biomaterials.

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Synergies produced in NANBIOSIS multiply the value of its services and allow its users to have results with faster and superior reliability due to proven experience of the scientists and technicians involved, says Jaume Veciana, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS, in an interview at July 2016 CIBER-BBN Bulletin.

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