PROJECTS

(1) DISERTOX – “Disposable SERS Microfluidic platforms for food toxin detection”

This project aims to develop innovative, simple, low cost and disposable substrates for Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) with ultra-high sensitivity and their application in immuno-sensitive microfluidic platforms. The objective of associating a microfluidic platform with SERS is the possibility to concentrate the analyte by flowing the sample through the detection zone and immobilizing the toxin with antibodies, allowing its detection in the ppb range, at least two orders of magnitude more sensitive than the present state of art for this type of detection.

This is a collaborative Project with I3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, FCT, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, and UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto. Financing by FCT/MCTES-  Project PTDC/CTM-NAN/2912/2014

(2)  Gilead-Génese Prize 2014 - "Development of an innovative approach for immunonanodiagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia at the point-of-care”

The main Objective of the project is to design a gold nanoparticle(AuNP)-based Rapid Detection Test for Pneumocystis pneumonia. In this test, spherical AuNPs are conjugated with a multi-epitope synthetic recombinant antigen (msr) in order to detect circulating anti- Pneumocystis antibodies in sera from patients.

This is a collaborative Project with the Medical Parasitology Unit, Group of Opportunistic Protozoa/HIV and Other Protozoa, GHTM, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa; and UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto.

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