Research activity
The group deals with the development of new markers for detection by chemical luminescence (bio- and chemiluminescence) and of immunological, enzymatic and genetic bioanalytical methods that use these markers for the quantification of analytes in complex matrices. In the field of analytical biotechnologies, new bioluminescent proteins are developed and characterized, used in bioluminescent cellular biosensors for clinical, agri-food, environmental and forensic analyzes, as well as predictive cellular assays (i.e. cellular 3D models) for the evaluation of safety and biological functionality of bioactive compounds in food or vegetable matrices.
In recent years, research has focused mainly on portable bioanalytical devices based on microfluidic systems, "Lateral Flow Immunoassay" or cellular biosensors, using 3D printing for rapid prototyping of devices and smartphones or portable CCD cameras for detection of the luminescent signal. Ultrasensitive luminescence imaging methods are also developed for the localization of analytes in biological samples (cells, tissues) and artistic artefacts.
The section of the laboratory dedicated to separative techniques carries out analyzes in the biochemical, biomedical and environmental fields (for example, determination of bioactive substances in matrices and biological liquids, "targeted" metabolomics, proteomics, new biomarkers) using chromatographic instruments such as HPLC / UV-Vis, HPLC / ESI / MS and GC / MS.
ERC panels
PE4_2 Spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques
PE4_5 Analytical chemistry
PE4_7 Chemical instrumentation
PE4_9 Method development in chemistry
LS9_1 Applied genetic engineering, transgenic organisms, recombinant proteins, biosensors
Scientific coordinator
Prof. Massimo Guardigli
Collaborations
Prof. Claudio Baggiani, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Torino, (Torino)
Prof. Aldo Laganà, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università La Sapienza, (Roma)
Prof. Giovanni Montini, Fondazione Ca'Granda - Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico (Milano)
Prof. Augusto Nascetti, Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Università La Sapienza (Roma)
Prof.ssa Fabiana Arduini, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata (Roma)
Dr. Marcello D'Elia, Gabinetto regionale di polizia scientifica per l'Emilia-Romagna (Bologna)
Prof. Bruce Branchini, Connecticut College (New London, USA)
Prof. Sylvia Daunert, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine (Miami, USA)
Prof. Arben Merkoçi, Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2) (Barcelona, Spain)
Prof. Doron Shabat, Tel-Aviv University (Tel-Aviv, Israel)
Prof. Celia Vargas de la Cruz, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (Lima, Perù)
Prof. Hua Cui, University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei, Anhui, P.R. China)