Biospectroscopy and Interfaces Research Group
Electronic and vibrational spectroscopies, including fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy (i), Molecular and Cellular Biophysics (ii), Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (iii).
Keywords
Fluorescence
Cellular and Molecular Biophysics
Biomembranes and Interfaces
Biomaterials
Coordinator
Goals
The Biospectroscopy and Interfaces Research Group (BSIRG)
BSIRG’s research focuses both on fundamental science (spectroscopy, biomolecules, structure and dynamics of nanosystems and biomaterials) and on Human Health (new drugs and nanotherapeutics). Some of the research lines are:
(i) Development of new scintillator materials, and their application in detectors including medical devices (e.g. X-ray and gamma detectors);
(ii) Engineering of extracellular vesicle (EV)-mimic nanoparticles obtained from plasma membrane ectosomes with the goal of accelerating the translation of EV-inspired nanoparticle technologies;
(iii) Development of innovative single-molecule approaches for describing Intrinsically Disordered Proteins involved in neurodegeneration;
(iv) Study of novel anticancer nanoformulations targeting colorectal cancer and glioblastoma;
(v) Development of anti-biofilm drugs such as antimicrobial dendrimers, quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSI) and efflux pump inhibitors.
Outreach
Major Contributions
Structural characterization of amyloid and amyloid-like protein fibers
Sensors and OLEDs based on fluorescence
Nanoscale organization of biological and biomimetic membranes
Focus Areas
Characterization of lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions
Study and development of novel cationic antimicrobial peptides
Development of new bio and nanostructured materials, fluorescent probes and OLEDs
Synthesis/characterization of photosensitizers
People
The BSIRG Team
For applications or further information, please get in touch!