Design, synthesis, characterization and optimization of
innovative materials for the fields of sensors, diagnosis and
imaging for environmental, biological and medical applications. All
these materials will be based on chemical systems presenting
particular photochemical, photophysical and/or electrochemical
characteristics. The research can be summarized by three main
topics:
1- design, synthesis, characterization of luminescent
chemosensors for analytes of environmental and biological interest
presenting photophysical properties significantly affected by the
analyte recognition event. These material will be used for the
development of efficient sensors based on optical transduction. Of
particular interest are chemosensors for metal ions able to pass
biological membranes allowing the imaging of their distribution
inside the cells.
2- synthesis and characterization of gold, silver, silica,
core-shell (metal core-silica shell, magnetic core-silica
shell, or silica core-surfactant shell) and multilayered (many
differently derivatized silica shells) nanoparticles. New methods
have been developed to functionalize them at the surface and/or
inside with luminescent or redox-active species, and with specific
receptors for differen iniorganic or bio-targets .
3- optimization and merging of different systems prepared and
studied in the framework of the previous research lines to obtain
specifically suitable materials for applications in medical
diagnosis, to develop ultrasensitive multiplexed imaging analytical
methods able to simultaneously localize different target
biomolecules. The final goal will be to obtain materials suitable
also for in vivo analysis.
Aim of the research is to design, synthesize and study
supramolecular systems able to perform useful functions and
characterized by particularly interesting photochemical,
photophysical and electrochemical properties. In between the many
different possible systems we will select the ones that are
promising candidates to be used in the preparation of innovative
materials for the fields of sensing, medical diagnostic and imaging
for environmental, biological and medical applications. The main
areas of this research activity can be summarized in the three
points below:
1- Luminescent Chemosensors: design, synthesis and
characterization of luminescent and/or chromogenic chemosensors for
different metal ions that are important in various fields such
as environmental (pollutants as Hg) and biological (K, Mg,
etc.) ones. This work is in collaboration with many other research
groups in Italy and abroad and will lead to the development of
efficient sensors based on optical signals (UV-Vis,
luminescence, electroluminescence) presenting photophysical
properties drastically dependent by the interaction of the receptor
moiety with the target analyte. Luminescent chemosensors for metal
ions in cells are of particular interest, and some supramolecular
species able to bind magnesium ions and to pass biological
membranes are in study. Magnesium ions are of fundamental
importance in many of the cell processes and even very small
variations in their concentrations can cause great biological
damages, on the other side they can also be diagnostic for
important pathologies. The aim is therefore to obtain the imaging
of the distribution of this species inside the cells, its
compartmentalization, in fact, if present would help a lot in
understanding the mechanisms of many biological processes.
2- Nanoparticles: synthesis and characterization of gold,
silver, silica, core-shell (metal core-silica shell, magnetic
core-silica shell, or silica core-surfactant shell) and
multilayered (many differently derivatized silica shells)
nanoparticles. New methods have been developed in ours
laboratories, and one also patented, to functionalize them at
the surface and/or inside with luminescent or redox-active species,
and specific receptors for different targets. Heterosupramolecular
systems of this kind are very interesting also from the point of
view of a basic research on their properties to establish how the
properties of the active species are influenced by reciprocal
proximity, immobilization, the different environment and a possible
metallic core. On the other side their great versatility, together
with their peculiar properties, make them perfect candidates for
applications in many different fields, in fact a further
derivatization with suitable molecules can induce autoorganization,
adsorption on surfaces or electrodes, efficient recognition of
target molecules. The particular disposition of the active molecule
inside these nanostructures can finally be exploited to obtain
precious amplification signal effects.
3- Optimization of ultrasensitive multiplexed imaging
analytical methods for medical diagnostic: taking
advantage from the species designed and synthesized in the
framework of the two previous research lines, we are preparing new
innovative luminescent materials suitable to develop ex
vivo ultrasensitive multiplexed imaging analytical methods
able to simultaneously localize different target biomolecules (e.g.
proteins or genomic sequences) present at very low concentrations
in cells or tissue samples. These labels will allow the development
of diagnostic methods useful for the early diagnosis and with
highly prognostic power, since they will enable the simultaneous
detection of traces of various biomarkers of a given pathologic
processes. The detecting materials in study aim to a very high
sensitivity, this will be obtained thanks to a very high signal to
noise ratio due to passive signal amplification effects. This
passive signal amplification will be achieved creating detection
multichromophoric nanostructures that will also present great
application flexibility.
