Project acronym 3Ps
Project 3Ps
Plastic-Antibodies, Plasmonics and Photovoltaic-Cells: on-site screening of cancer biomarkers made possible
Researcher (PI) Maria Goreti Ferreira Sales
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE ENGENHARIA DO PORTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS7, ERC-2012-StG_20111109
Summary This project presents a new concept for the detection, diagnosis and monitoring of cancer biomarker patterns in point-of-care. The device under development will make use of the selectivity of the plastic antibodies as sensing materials and the interference they will play on the normal operation of a photovoltaic cell.
Plastic antibodies will be designed by surface imprinting procedures. Self-assembled monolayer and molecular imprinting techniques will be merged in this process because they allow the self-assembly of nanostructured materials on a “bottom-up” nanofabrication approach. A dye-sensitized solar cell will be used as photovoltaic cell. It includes a liquid interface in the cell circuit, which allows the introduction of the sample (also in liquid phase) without disturbing the normal cell operation. Furthermore, it works well with rather low cost materials and requires mild and easy processing conditions. The cell will be equipped with plasmonic structures to enhance light absorption and cell efficiency.
The device under development will be easily operated by any clinician or patient. It will require ambient light and a regular multimeter. Eye detection will be also tried out.
Summary
This project presents a new concept for the detection, diagnosis and monitoring of cancer biomarker patterns in point-of-care. The device under development will make use of the selectivity of the plastic antibodies as sensing materials and the interference they will play on the normal operation of a photovoltaic cell.
Plastic antibodies will be designed by surface imprinting procedures. Self-assembled monolayer and molecular imprinting techniques will be merged in this process because they allow the self-assembly of nanostructured materials on a “bottom-up” nanofabrication approach. A dye-sensitized solar cell will be used as photovoltaic cell. It includes a liquid interface in the cell circuit, which allows the introduction of the sample (also in liquid phase) without disturbing the normal cell operation. Furthermore, it works well with rather low cost materials and requires mild and easy processing conditions. The cell will be equipped with plasmonic structures to enhance light absorption and cell efficiency.
The device under development will be easily operated by any clinician or patient. It will require ambient light and a regular multimeter. Eye detection will be also tried out.
Max ERC Funding
998 584 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-02-01, End date: 2018-01-31
Project acronym PARASITENUTRISENSING
Project Nutrient sensing by parasites
Researcher (PI) Maria Manuel Dias Da Mota
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUTO DE MEDICINA MOLECULAR JOAO LOBO ANTUNES
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS6, ERC-2012-StG_20111109
Summary As any other obligate parasite, Plasmodium depends on its hosts and on the nutrients they provide to survive and complete its life cycle. Surprisingly, nothing is know about Plasmodium’s capacity to sense nutrients or its host’s nutritional status and thereby reprogram its metabolism. Our preliminary data provides unequivocal evidence that Plasmodium has the ability to sense the host low-nutrient status and adapt to it by decreasing its multiplication rate. Thus, the overall goal of the present proposal is to unveil the molecular mechanisms by which parasites are capable to sense and adapt to environmental signals originated from nutrients and to determine its impact on the course and virulence of infection. To that end we propose to: (i) Identify Plasmodium pathway(s) that sense (host) nutritional changes; (ii) Uncover which molecules are sensed by Plasmodium during its intracellular development; (iii) Study the impact of the parasite’s nutrient sensing pathways activity on the course of infection; and (iv) Evaluate host nutritional status sensing as a common feature in parasites. The present proposal moves towards a change of paradigm on how host-parasite interactions are viewed. By definition, since a parasite requires a host in order to survive, a decrease in the availability of an essential molecule obtained from the host will weaken the parasite and render it incapable of succeeding in its life cycle. The rationale behind this proposal is that parasites monitor host nutritional environment and, prior to any nutrient(s) becoming limiting, are able to respond and adapt to the sensed alteration(s). Multidisciplinary approaches that combine genetic, genomic, cell biological and physiological methodologies will be used. Results arising from the present proposal will provide novel insights into the cell biology of these parasites and will increase our understanding of the interactions that these parasites maintain with their hosts.
Summary
As any other obligate parasite, Plasmodium depends on its hosts and on the nutrients they provide to survive and complete its life cycle. Surprisingly, nothing is know about Plasmodium’s capacity to sense nutrients or its host’s nutritional status and thereby reprogram its metabolism. Our preliminary data provides unequivocal evidence that Plasmodium has the ability to sense the host low-nutrient status and adapt to it by decreasing its multiplication rate. Thus, the overall goal of the present proposal is to unveil the molecular mechanisms by which parasites are capable to sense and adapt to environmental signals originated from nutrients and to determine its impact on the course and virulence of infection. To that end we propose to: (i) Identify Plasmodium pathway(s) that sense (host) nutritional changes; (ii) Uncover which molecules are sensed by Plasmodium during its intracellular development; (iii) Study the impact of the parasite’s nutrient sensing pathways activity on the course of infection; and (iv) Evaluate host nutritional status sensing as a common feature in parasites. The present proposal moves towards a change of paradigm on how host-parasite interactions are viewed. By definition, since a parasite requires a host in order to survive, a decrease in the availability of an essential molecule obtained from the host will weaken the parasite and render it incapable of succeeding in its life cycle. The rationale behind this proposal is that parasites monitor host nutritional environment and, prior to any nutrient(s) becoming limiting, are able to respond and adapt to the sensed alteration(s). Multidisciplinary approaches that combine genetic, genomic, cell biological and physiological methodologies will be used. Results arising from the present proposal will provide novel insights into the cell biology of these parasites and will increase our understanding of the interactions that these parasites maintain with their hosts.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-12-01, End date: 2017-11-30
Project acronym ProteinLocalization
Project Finding New Mechanisms for Protein Localization in Bacteria
Researcher (PI) Mariana Luisa Tomàs Gomes De Pinho
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUTO DE TECNOLOGIA QUIMICA E BIOLOGICA - UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS6, ERC-2012-StG_20111109
Summary During infection, the host immune system interacts with the bacterial cell surface, a complex structure made of peptidoglycan, wall teichoic acids, lipoteichoic acids, capsule polysaccharide and peptidoglycan-attached proteins. A lot is known about the metabolic pathways for the synthesis of each individual cell surface component. Almost nothing is known about the coordination between the synthesis of the peptidoglycan, the major structural component of the cell surface and the main inflammatory component of gram-positive bacteria, and the synthesis of the other molecules present at the surface. However, this coordination is essential for the construction of a surface capable not only of performing its biological functions in cell protection and morphology, but also of masking its inflammatory components for evasion from host recognition.
Using the clinical pathogen Staphylococcus aureus as a model organism, we propose to investigate the temporal and spatial regulation of the enzymes responsible for the synthesis of the cell surface components, as well as their dependence on the underlying divisome.
We will (i) use state-of –the art fluorescence microscopy to localize fluorescent derivatives of enzymes required for cell surface synthesis; (ii) use libraries of antibiotics, of antisense RNA expression plasmids, and of transposon mutants to identify the order of assembly and requirements for the localization of cell surface synthesis enzymes; (iii) identify the exact metabolic compound/protein/geometric cue responsible for the localization of key enzymes; (iv) determine if cells with impaired surface synthesis due to protein delocalization are more susceptible to host recognition and therefore less capable of causing infections.
This project will result in the identification of new mechanisms of protein localization, a fundamental question in cell biology, and in a better understanding of the assembly of the bacterial cell surface of successful bacterial pathogens
Summary
During infection, the host immune system interacts with the bacterial cell surface, a complex structure made of peptidoglycan, wall teichoic acids, lipoteichoic acids, capsule polysaccharide and peptidoglycan-attached proteins. A lot is known about the metabolic pathways for the synthesis of each individual cell surface component. Almost nothing is known about the coordination between the synthesis of the peptidoglycan, the major structural component of the cell surface and the main inflammatory component of gram-positive bacteria, and the synthesis of the other molecules present at the surface. However, this coordination is essential for the construction of a surface capable not only of performing its biological functions in cell protection and morphology, but also of masking its inflammatory components for evasion from host recognition.
Using the clinical pathogen Staphylococcus aureus as a model organism, we propose to investigate the temporal and spatial regulation of the enzymes responsible for the synthesis of the cell surface components, as well as their dependence on the underlying divisome.
We will (i) use state-of –the art fluorescence microscopy to localize fluorescent derivatives of enzymes required for cell surface synthesis; (ii) use libraries of antibiotics, of antisense RNA expression plasmids, and of transposon mutants to identify the order of assembly and requirements for the localization of cell surface synthesis enzymes; (iii) identify the exact metabolic compound/protein/geometric cue responsible for the localization of key enzymes; (iv) determine if cells with impaired surface synthesis due to protein delocalization are more susceptible to host recognition and therefore less capable of causing infections.
This project will result in the identification of new mechanisms of protein localization, a fundamental question in cell biology, and in a better understanding of the assembly of the bacterial cell surface of successful bacterial pathogens
Max ERC Funding
1 656 960 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-03-01, End date: 2018-02-28
