Technologies

A biosensor based on magnetic microspheres functionalized with a DNA-aptamer was developed for the specific biomonitoring of biological contaminants (mycotoxins) in urine.

Aptamers, short structured single-stranded oligonucleotides binding at high affinity to a given target protein, are selected from large combinatorial libraries through repeated cycles of incubation of the library with the target, recovery and amplification of target-bound oligonucleotides (SELEX technology, Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment). SELEX can be applied to select aptamers against a known target protein or against a specific cell phenotype, without any prior knowledge of the specific target, leading to new biomarkers discovery.

Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) is regarded as the “gold-standard” method for fluorescence lifetime measurements. However, TCSPC requires using highly sensitive detectors, not suitable for measurements under bright light conditions, thereby making the use impractical in clinical settings. The invention described here solves this problem by synchronizing the fluorescence detection with an external light source.

The dramatic global health emergency due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic requires new diagnostic devices capable of identifying the presence of virus particles in patient biological samples. In this direction, the development of an innovative low-cost test, which provides the result within a few minutes, which is reproducible and which can reveal the direct presence of even a few viral particles, would be of fundamental importance for the monitoring and containment of the pandemic.

The containers for plants and the like have different shapes, an open top to facilitate irrigation and material supply; a base that includes one or more holes to facilitate proper water drainage and to ensure ventilation for the rooting apparatus. An inconvenience of these containers is related to their placement in outdoor environments without roofs: in the presence of "unfavorable" climatic conditions, excessive exposure to rain water rather than excessive exposure to the sun, these containers expose plants to a series of problems.

The assessment of bio-humoral markers beyond clinical evaluation would allow a more comprehensive pheno/endotyping of patients affected by chronic inflammatory diseases. Therapy personalization would require a profile of the mediators that are relevant in the disease pathogenesis and that well correlate with prognosis. Currently, the measurement of multiple biomarkers is not included in patient evaluation because it has high costs,  requires centralized laboratories, experienced personnel and bulky equipment and is time-consuming.

The proposed technology is based on the micro-fabrication of electrodes in order to generate surface acoustic waves (SAW) with well-defined frequencies, on piezoelectric substrates. The operating principle of a surface acoustic wave sensor is linked to the variation of the characteristics of the acoustic wave that propagates on the device (e.g. wave velocity on the substrate, etc.) caused by the interaction with the environment (e.g. interaction of an analyte on the surface of the device, deformation of the substrate, etc.).

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are 1D structures with diameter ranging from few tens to hundreds of nanometers and length varying from few tens of nanometers to millimiters. SiNWs are fabricated in the labs of the IMM-CNR, Rome Unit,  by using bottom-up technologies such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at low growth temperature ((≤350°C), allowing the use of plastic and glassy substrates. Their electrical properties can be tuned by controlling the p/n doping during the growth.

Plants have a huge potential to contribute to the solution of a large number of issues facing the modern world, ranging from a poor crop yields and problems caused by global climate changing. Our team has been on the forefront of the PCR and NGS applications to plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress. As experts in genomics and plant pathology we are able to accelerate the understanding and use of plant genes and resources.

VisLab laboratory of IMM possesses a latest generation Raman micro-spectroscope equipped for vibrational measurements with high spatial and spectral resolution, at controlled temperature and in fast-imaging. The apparatus can be used to collect information and chemico-physical maps without the need for sample preparation and alteration, therefore for non-destructive studies and in operating conditions.

We developed a procedure aimed at simultaneously treating thousands of C.elegans model organisms, from eggs to old adult, in liquid, in 96- or 384-well plates. This procedure can be used to perform drug and toxicological screening of millions of compounds, in very small volumes and on millions of animals. Thanks to easy handling, semi-automatic analysis can be performed using plate readers or High Content Screening instruments.

In the last years, hop culture has spread throughout Italy, and the vegetative biomass disposal, after harvesting of cones, used for beer production, became a serious problem for hop growers. Hop plant contains in all parts, cones, shoots, leaves and roots, bioactive compounds, with proven and important antiviral, antibacterial and antioxidant properties.

Detection devices for the presence of molecules of interest (analytes) enjoyed a renewed burst with the introduction of biological components (biosensors). Their high specificity is often used in various fields, from environmental monitoring and biomedicine to the protection and promotion of agri-food products. However, the high cost of production and the lack of compatibility with mass sampling (high-throughput) sometimes limit their use.

At IFN-CNR, in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano-Department of Physics, we have developed Raman microscopy approaches compatible with the study and characterization of biological and industrial samples. In detail, our facility houses a self-built spontaneous confocal Raman microscope with the following characteristics: two excitation lasers (660nm and 785nm), inverted microscope (Olympus IX-73) and Princeton spectrometer / CCD.

We propose a compact innovative spectroscopy system operating in the UV range. In the actual version, designed for gas, it exhibits: an aluminium tubular optical chamber (length can be adjusted; currently is 20 cm); a cheap commercial UV LED; a SiC visible blind UV detector designed and manufactured at the CNR-IMM facilities. The team developed also the electronic chain for wireless remote real time read out; while able to deal with pA current levels, it uses very cheap components and construction technology.