New projects & Milestones
The activities of the Nanobiosensors and Bionalytical Applications Group are focused on the development of novel nanobiosensor devices based on the principles of nanoplasmonics and silicon-based photonics, including surface biofunctionalisation, microfluidics for automatic fluid delivery and complete lab-on-a-chip integration for point-of-care devices. The application of nanobiosensor devices in real clinical diagnostics and environmental control is one of the group’s main objectives. Its activities range from basic research to technological operation of working sensing platforms, as well as the transfer of the outcomes of its research to industry. The group is at the forefront of photonic biosensors development at the international level, an example of which is its bimodal waveguide interferometric device. Since 2006 the group has been associated to the ISCIII Biomedical Research Networking Centre (CIBER) as part of its Centre for Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN).
In 2020 the group has made significant progress in the development of integrated and multiplexed devices with interferometric nanophotonic and (nano)plasmonic biosensors, with the end goal of achieving sensitive, affordable, handheld and portable point-of-care devices. New multiplexed nanoplasmonics sensor devices have been implemented based on flexible substrates for further integration in portable platforms. New designs of the multiplexed version of the nanointerferometric sensors together with a multiplexed microfluidics have further expanded the capabilities of this ultrasensitive technology.
In parallel to the technological developments, we have demonstrated the feasibility of the nanophotonic biosensor technology in several fields of application. We have maintained our focus on applications of clinical interest, including the detection of infectious diseases like sepsis via a simple biosensor test in plasma (European project RAIS and additional collaborations). In our research line about dysregulation of cellular pathways evaluation, we have used our nanobiosensor technologies as alternative analytical techniques for the evaluation of different gene regulating pathways, with the aim of obtaining more informative and accurate cancer diagnoses and follow-up therapies. These technologies also allow for a fast, direct and highly sensitive analysis of such regulating routes without the need for labelling or amplification. We have demonstrated a new and unique methodology for the direct detection of epigenetic marks (as methylation) in double strands of DNA.
Within a granted Euronanomed project (ABISENS), coordinated by the Group, we are using our nanophotonics biosensing technology for the monitoring of acquired brain injury and recovery biomarkers, with the aim of providing a new tool able to identify and quantify multiple brain biomarkers in blood with high sensitivity and in a short time, for a better evaluation of patients after brain injuries and the efficacy of the rehabilitation treatments.
With the excellent results achieved so far, we are now expanding the research line related to the development of novel ultrasensitive photonic nanosensors integrating porous materials (metal-organic frameworks) as specific receptors and nanointerferometers for the fast and specific detection of minute concentrations of gas or organic pollutants for environmental quality control. In addition, we have continued the research line established in collaboration with the oil company CEPSA within the framework of the project DIONISOS (RETOS-Colaboración, RTC-2017-6222-5).
In March 2020, we were granted a large European project for COVID-19 diagnostics (CoNVaT) in the first urgent EU Proposal Call to respond to the sanitary emergency. Since then, we have been heavily working in providing advanced nanophotonics biosensors for the rapid diagnosis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by directly detecting the coronavirus entities in saliva in a shorter-than-30-minutes assay. The technology is already in an advanced phase of development. This new point-of-care virus biosensor could be employed for a better surveillance and early warning to prevent and control future epidemics, infective viruses and other new pathogens that could arise in the coming years.