Publications

Hsp70 is a conserved molecular chaperone. How Hsp70 exhibits specialized functions across species remains to be understood. Plasmodium falciparum Hsp70-1 (PfHsp70-1) and Escherichia coli DnaK are cytosol localized molecular chaperones that are important for the survival of these two organisms. [...]

We report a straightforward route for the preparation of flexible, electrochemically stable and easily functionalizable poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) composite films deposited on PET foils as biosensing platforms. For this purpose, poly(allylamine) hydrochloride (PAH) was blended with PEDOT to provide amine-bearing sites for further biofunctionalization as well as to improve the mechanical properties of the films.[...]

Thebaine 6-O-demethylase (T6ODM) is an Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase catalysing two oxidative O-demethylation reactions in morphine biosynthesis. Its crystal structure revealed a large active site pocket which is at least two times larger than necessary to accommodate a substrate (thebaine or oripavine) molecule.[...]

Polymer brushes not only represent emerging surface platforms for numerous bioanalytical and biological applications but also create advanced surface-tethered systems to mimic real-life biological processes. In particular, zwitterionic and nonionic polymer brushes have been intensively studied because of their extraordinary resistance to nonspecific adsorption of biomolecules (antifouling characteristics) as well as the ability to be functionalized with bioactive molecules.[...]

Real-time label-free techniques are used to profile G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathways in living cells. However, interpreting the label-free signal responses is challenging, [...]

Ultra‐low fouling and functionalizable coatings represent emerging surface platforms for various analytical and biomedical applications such as those involving examination of cellular interactions in their native environments. Ultra‐low fouling surface platforms as advanced interfaces enabling modulation of behavior of living cells via tuning surface physicochemical properties are presented and studied.[...]

Coupling of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) detection to asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) offers the possibility to study active fractions of bio-separations on real samples, such as [...]

We present a polyelectrolyte brush electrode with high-capacity for protein immobilization that captures and releases proteins by an electrochemical potential. Central to our concept is the use of polyelectrolyte brushes that switch reversibly by electrochemistry.[...]

The capabilities of biosensors for fast, economic, and user-friendly analysis of complex samples has led to the exploitation of analytical devices for detection, quantification, and monitoring of specific chemical species for various applications. For a sufficiently high surface reactivity toward the adopted bioreceptors, a thin functional layer is required to enable coupling of the target biomolecules and to provide good stability in the presence of a sample matrix.[...]

Enzyme immobilization is extensively studied to improve enzyme properties in catalysis and analytical applications. Here, we introduce a simple and versatile enzyme immobilization platform based on adhesion‐promoting peptides, namely Matter‐tags. Matter‐tags immobilize enzymes in an oriented way as a dense monolayer.[...]

Thiolated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are typically used to anchor on a gold surface biomolecules serving as recognition elements for biosensor applications. Here, the design and synthesis of N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-mercaptopropanamide (NMPA) in biotinylated mixed SAMs is proposed as an alternative strategy with respect to on-site multistep functionalization of SAMs prepared from solutions of commercially available thiols.[...]

Methodological constraints have limited our ability to study protein corona formation, slowing nanomedicine development and their successful translation into the clinic. We determined hard and soft corona structural properties along with the corresponding proteomic compositions on liposomes in a label-free workflow: surface plasmon resonance and a custom biosensor for in situ structure determination on liposomes and corona separation, and proteomics using sensitive nanoliquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with open-source bioinformatics platforms.[...]

In this work, we report the analytical detection of tartrazine through differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and Nickel(II)-phthalocyanine-tetrasulfonic (NiTsPc). The Layer-by-Layer (LbL) film was constructed following the Au-(AuNPs-PAH/NiTsPc)5 architecture.[...]

Surface interactions with polymers or proteins are extensively studied in a range of industrial and biomedical applications to control surface modification, cleaning, or biofilm formation. In this study we compare surfactant interactions with protein-coated silica surfaces differing in the degree of curvature (macroscopically flat and colloidal nanometric spheres). The interaction with a flat surface was probed by means of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) while dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to study the interaction with colloidal SiO2 (radius 15 nm).Surface interactions with polymers or proteins are extensively studied in a range of industrial and biomedical applications to control surface modification, cleaning, or biofilm formation. In this study we compare surfactant interactions with protein-coated silica surfaces differing in the degree of curvature (macroscopically flat and colloidal nanometric spheres). The interaction with a flat surface was probed by means of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) while dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to study the interaction with colloidal SiO2 (radius 15 nm).[...]

The sustained use of cosmetics, hygiene products and medicines containing methylparaben (MeP) can be related to cases of cancer in women and children, which is why it is important to develop simple ways to monitor this compound. Gold electrodes were modified with Layer-by-Layer (LbL) films of magnetite nanoparticles (MNP) and polypyrrole (Ppy) for electrochemical determination of MeP.[...]

Exploring the interactions between the Ca2+ binding protein calmodulin (CaM) and its target proteins remains a challenging task. Members of the Munc13 protein family play an essential role in short-term synaptic plasticity, modulated via the interaction with CaM at the presynaptic compartment. [...]

In this paper, we report the controlled fabrication of layer‐by‐layer (LbL) films deposited on gold substrates with three different supramolecular architectures using polypyrrole (Ppy) and magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4‐np), besides conventional poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) e poly(vinyl sulfonic acid) (PVS) polyelectrolytes, demonstrating the synergistic effect between Ppy and Fe3O4‐np such as a result of their interaction.[...]

The interaction of the neuronal protein α-synuclein with lipid membranes appears crucial in the context of Parkinson’s disease, but the underlying mechanistic details, including the roles of different lipids in pathogenic protein aggregation and membrane disruption, remain elusive. Here, we used single-vesicle resolution fluorescence and label-free scattering microscopy to investigate the interaction kinetics of monomeric α-synuclein with surface-tethered vesicles composed of different negatively charged lipids.[...]

Early diagnosis of the infection caused by human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) is vital to achieve efficient therapeutic treatment and limit the disease spreading when the viremia is at its highest level. To this end, a point-of-care HIV-1 detection carried out with label-free, low-cost, and ultra-sensitive screening technologies would be of great relevance.[...]

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have the ability to function as molecular vehicles and could therefore be harnessed to deliver drugs to target cells in diseases such as cancer. The composition of EVs determines their function as well as their interactions with cells, which consequently affects the cell uptake efficacy of EVs.[...]